


The law of Gravity

by ThisBirdWithoutACage



Series: Bloodlines [1]
Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Asshole parents, Awakened Powers, Bad Parenting, Beast does some messed up things, Beatrice has attitude, Bill and The Beast are friends, DEAL WITH IT, Demons, Dipper is done with Bill's shit, Eldritch beings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eye Trauma, F/F, F/M, Family Secrets, Forced Bonding, Gravity Falls Is Weird, Greg is a happy ray of sunshine, Hand Jobs in a forest, Human Bill Cipher, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, M/M, Moving towns, Nightmares, No Mabel Wirt is not a gnome!, Other demons - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Possible Child Abuse, Prophecy, Restaurants, STORY GETS DARKER, Stalking, Tattoos, The Beast has a human form, The Beast is not happy, The Mystery Shack, Their father is also a cinnamon roll, Their mom is a fierce tiger when it comes to her children, Their mother has the patience of a saint, Their mother is Chinese, They have plans for the town, Threats, Triangle Bill Cipher, Weird dreams, Wirt and Greg's mom has secrets, Wirt has complicated feelings, Wirt is not happy, Wirt is protective of Greg, Wirt's father is a jerk, Wirt's not going down without a fight, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-05-06 15:43:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 29
Words: 147,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5422682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisBirdWithoutACage/pseuds/ThisBirdWithoutACage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wirt thought after their adventure in The Unknown, things would go back to being normal. He was very, very wrong.<br/>Plagued with nightmares and panic attacks, his parents decide to move to the small town of Gravity Falls, Oregon to help Wirt recover and start their business. But the family soon discovers Gravity Falls is not so normal and that big things are coming. Big things involving their family and the secrets in it. </p><p>And Wirt discovers, whatever your destiny is, it will find you. and when it does, you better be ready.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Monsters

**Author's Note:**

> So hello everyone! I have posted a new fic! Yup, what a shock; I know and after I just finished one a little bit ago. I wanted to try another crossover fic and I thought of doing one where the boys and their family move to Gravity Falls. Yeah, there's lots coming up for this story and the other one I'm work on right now. This first chapter is long as fuck and I'm not sorry for it. I've been working on it for several weeks. You probably won't get anymore updates till after finals is done. But it's almost Christmas! Well, to those who celebrate it anyway. I'm a Christmas junkie, so you can bet I'm drinking hot chocolates, peppermint mocha's and eggnog lattes. I also have a mini Christmas tree in my dorm. Can't you tell I'M BATSHIT CRAZY ABOUT CHRISTMAS!!!
> 
> Ahem, sorry. Anyway, leave a comment and a kudo! If you want, it would make me happy! Do you want comfort food? I'll gladly give it to you *passes out gingerbread cookies*

Timeline of events: 

August 31, 1999- Mabel and Dipper Pines are born to Aaron and Michaela Pines

September 14, 1999- Wirt Palmer is born to Xiāng líng and Mortimer Palmer

January 12, 2005- Xiāng líng and Mortimer divorce

June 25, 2005-Xiāng líng and Dave Macavin meet at their high school reunion

January 5, 2007- Xiāng líng and Dave marry

November 10, 2007- Gregory Macavin is born to Dave and Xiāng líng Macavin

June-August, 2012- The events in Gravity Falls happen

October 31, 2014- Wirt and Greg fall over the garden wall

February 18, 2015- Yin Wei Macavin is born to Dave and Xiāng líng Macavin

* * *

 

_The monsters are buried down deep inside,_

_You never know when they're satisfied,_

_Buried down deep where the sun don't shine_

_The monsters are buried down deep inside but,_

_Wait, okay, you gotta look before you grow,_

_You're wastin' away, okay, you gotta look before you grow_

_~Monsters by Hurricane Bells~_

 

**(May 31, 2015, Road to Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Do you wanna play I spy?”

“No.”

Wirt let out a grunt of discomfort as an elbow was jammed into him. From the back seat of the van, Greg let out an excited shout, stretching his short body across Wirt’s to look out his side of the window. “I spy with my little eye something…yellow!”

“Greg, I said I didn’t want to play,” Wirt sighed, resting his head against the window, half tempted to push the smaller boy off of him.

“Oh come on Wirt,” his step-father, Dave, glanced from his spot in the rearview mirror. His hands were placed on the steering wheel, a stupid grin on his face. “Greg’s randomness is what makes life fun; join in! I’ll go next, okay?”

“Fine.”

“Yay!” Greg cheered, clapping his hands in delight, round dark grey eyes widening. “Go next, Daddy! Then Mommy will go, and then Wirt!”

Their parents shared looks with each other before laughing genuinely at Greg’s decision. Wirt just continued to stare glumly out the window, watching the other cars zoom down the high way. It was cloudy in Oregon; they were about two hours away from their destination and the forecast wasn’t making anything better. Moving from Michigan to Oregon right before his junior year in high school. How could things possibly get better for him?

His parents just had to decide to open up a café in this rinky dink hick town called Gravity Falls. When he told his friends at school, they immediately looked it up on the internet and found barely anything except for old records and accidents. “A hick town, are they serious?” Kathleen had asked, barely concealing her contempt. “I know living in the suburbs of Detroit isn’t that great, but an even smaller town? Gross.”

Sara, bless her heart, had a less cynical way of looking at it. “I’m sorry, Wirt,” she said sympathetically, giving him a hug. “Maybe it won’t be so bad? It says here they have a really nice, unexplored forest?”

It was a small attempt at comfort, but it did little to quell his anxiety. That was back in March, a month after his sister was born. Now their small minivan was all packed with the boxes they could fit and the moving truck was right behind them, thundering its way down the highway. Just the thought of moving soured his mood and he slumped in his seat, his book of poems by Edgar Allen Poe sliding down in his lap dangerously close to falling off. His mom and step-dad went along with Greg’s game, his mother eyeing him cautiously. In the space next to Greg, his almost four month old sister, Yin Wei, was sound asleep.

“Wirt! Hello to Captain Wirt?”

He jumped out of his thoughts at the sound of Greg’s voice. “What?” he asked, trying not to sound annoyed. It didn’t work, for Greg faltered just a little bit and he noticed his mother narrow her eyes at him. He sighed, giving a thin smile. “Sorry, young skipper,” he noticed a huge smile grow on his little brother’s face. “Did I miss my turn?”

“Nope! You’re right on time!” Greg giggled cheerfully. “It’s your turn now!”

“Uh, okay? Um, I spy with my little eye,” he glanced around the car, noticing the pink embroidered slippers on his sister’s feet. “Something pink.”

“Hmm,” Greg paused in thought, bringing a small hand to his chin. Wirt was surprised that Greg was actually giving this a lot of thought, considering there was nothing else in the van that was pink. Though to give his little brother some credit, he was little and his sister’s feet weren’t exactly the biggest things. “Wait! I found it! It’s Yin Wei’s feet!”

He smiled at his little brother, ruffling his head. “Right, Skipper.”

He noticed his mother and Dave share a smile. Not too long ago, he wouldn’t have had anything to do with a game like this. He would have ignored Greg till the boy got the hint and left him alone. Now, things were different. Now, he treasured every moment spent with his brother. Every single moment spent with him was precious.

After almost watching his brother become a tree, Wirt had realized how much he loved his little brother. How much he’d taken for granted and mistreated his brother made him realize how life was short. Cruel and miserably short. A part of him still wondered what could have happened if he’d said yes to The Beast and not found a loop hole around that deal. Would he have still wandered around in the woods for the rest of his, well, afterlife?

“Wirt?”

He felt Greg slide his small hand into his, squeezing it gently for reassurance. The seven year old always seemed to know when he was thinking about The Unknown. Always. If Greg had mind reading powers, he wouldn’t be surprised. “Yeah?” he responded back, trying to push back the tightness in his throat.

“Do you think Beatrice is thinking about us?”

He wanted to say yes, but what was he supposed to tell his brother? Greg was too little to understand that they’d been dead. He saw nothing but wonder and beauty in The Unknown. He was too young to recognize the dangers they were in and didn’t even recall The Beast as being a truly evil force. He just thought he was helping Wirt return home where as they were both being played by The Beast. If he hadn’t realized his faults, he and Greg truly would be dead.

“Yes,” he responded, smiling thinly. “I’m sure she is.”

“Awesome.”

“Who’s Beatrice?” Dave asked, letting out a laugh. “Was she your girlfriend, Wirt? I thought you were dating Sara?”

Sara. Just the thought of her made his mood sour. They’d gone out for a few months up until April. He truly loved spending every minute with her, just not in the way he thought he would. It was a mutual break up and while things were still awkward for a while, they still kept close. Now he wouldn’t see her every day. The thought of not seeing her hurt more than he thought it would. “Sara and I broke up, remember?” he said sourly, annoyed with his step-father for bringing it up.

“Oh,” Dave glanced quickly at his mother. “Um, sorry, I guess.”

“It’s fine…” Wirt drifted off, returning his gaze to the window. Fat rain drops were falling down onto the window, pelting the thick glass harshly and the drum of rain on the roof felt comforting. The van went silent, the sounds of Greg now resting peacefully against his arm and the sound of his mother’s voice as she hummed along to the song on the radio in Chinese.

“Wirt?”

“Yes Greg?”

“When did you get your tattoo?”

He looked down to see Greg pulling at his sleeve, moving the light material of his dark blue sweater back. Wirt flipped his wrist over, allowing the boy to see the tattoo that lay on the underside of his arm, the character sitting on the soft flesh of his arm near the wrist bone. “Here,” he pointed towards the symbol.

 **梁**.The symbol of their family.

“It says Liang,” he explained calmly, allowing the seven year old to trace over it. “I was about your age when I got it. It’s been passed down from our family for generations. Mom’s father gave it to her, and his mother or whoever gave it to him, and so on.”

Greg looked at him with his large round eyes. “When will I get mine?”

“I don’t know; how should I know?”

“Because you’re the captain!” Greg proclaimed, as if that title meant he anything other than a nickname. “You’re supposed to.”

“You’ll get yours eventually, Greg,” their mother spoke up, looking up from her book. “We’ve just been busy moving and everything.”

“Cool,” Greg leaned away from Wirt, giving Jason the frog a pat on the head. The frog had been quiet; contently asleep next to Yin Wei. The baby girl had a stuffed frog of her own, cuddling it close to her as she slept. It had been Greg’s idea. Out of all the stuffed animals he could have chosen at the hospital, he chose a frog. Wirt wasn’t surprised; rather amused actually, but Dave and the nurses were surprised.

If anything, Wirt and Yin Wei looked more alike their mother than Greg did. Of course, their mother would argue that Wirt looked more like his father than her, but he clearly inherited her skin tone and eyes. Yin Wei looked more like her, except she had her father’s small rounded chin and when she smiled, she had the same dimples Greg and Dave did. The only thing Greg really inherited from their mother was his musical talent and eye color.

“Are we there yet?” Greg piped up, giving a little yawn.

“Not yet,” Dave replied. “Still got two more hours to go.”

“Darn!”

Wirt just shook his head, giving a snort but not concealing his smile. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. He felt Greg plop his head in his lap, giving a little sigh before curling up. As Wirt closed his own eyes, he took one last look to the road outside.

He nearly did a double take when he thought he saw round, almost colorless orbs, stare back at him. Those eyes. No, it couldn’t be! It wasn’t possible! He rubbed his own eyes, blinking to see if the orbs were there, but he saw nothing.

It had to have been his imagination, right? After all he and Greg had survived The Unknown. They defeated The Beast, right? Yeah, that sounded about right. They conquered The Unknown. There was nothing more to fear. He was just being paranoid.

Of course, he didn’t know then how wrong he was.

~

“Hey, Wirt, Greg, wake up! We’re here!”

Groggily the teenager opened his eyes, groaning slightly at the pain now in his neck. On his lap, Greg let out a yawn and sat up, arms raised over his head as he blinked his dark eyes back to reality. “Are we there yet?” he asked, still sounding sleepy.

 “Yes,” their mother responded, unbuckling her seatbelt as the van parked in the drive way. “And we arrived at a good time too; it’s only 3:30.”

Wirt glanced down at his watch, verifying that the hands were both on the six and three. Looking past his mother’s head, he peered through the front mirror to see the home. The home was two stories tall, with yellow paneling and a small white front porch and yellow paneled garage. The roof was a dark slate colored brown and the house was outlined in white. The top floor, from what Wirt had heard, had four bedrooms which meant he would have his own.

He instantly hated house.

He opened the passenger door, looking at the house with barely concealed distaste. His mother stepped beside him, wrapping an arm around him. “It’s not so bad is it, eh?”

“I guess not,” he replied distantly, looking past her head to look at the area around them. There were nothing but pine trees and across the driveway, there was a house that looked literally like a shack. Coincidentally, it was called _The Mystery Shack._ He snorted at the title, rolling his eyes while his mother looked at the building with a raised eyebrow.

“See? Our home is better than that one,” she started up again, giving a sigh. “You could try and look at the bright side of things, Walter.”

“Fat chance of that happening.”

“Well if you don’t perk up at least a little, I’ll only speak to you in Chinese for the rest of the summer.”

He shivered, knowing from experience that she would. Last time she only spoke to him in Chinese for a month and it drove him crazy. Literally, he would go to school and start speaking in Chinese to his English teacher and had the whole class laugh at him.

“This isn’t home,” he grumbled, pulling away from his mother. “It’s never going to be home.”

She didn’t say anything, but he could see her shaking her head. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? Could you please get your sister out of the car and put her inside?”

He nodded, walking around the van to the other side. The baby had awoken, dark eyes staring up at him before she let out a baby gurgle. He gave a small smile to her, unhooking her carrier from the car and walking up towards the house, opening the white front door with small stained glass engravings. The home was bare as he stood in the hallway, with yellow walls with white paneling at the bottom middle. He walked further into the home, walking past dark colored wooden stairs and into the living room.

While there was no furniture to make it feel more comfortable, he had to admit the light blue painted walls gave the room a friendlier atmosphere. He could picture himself reading or writing poetry in here and in the winter, curling up with his mother and watching the fire place, just like they did at their old home.

Feeling the panic rising, he unhooked his sister from her carrier and pulled her into his arms. She immediately grabbed at his hair, earning an ouch from him. She smiled, continuing to yank at his hair until he gently removed her tiny hand from his dark locks. Her fingers curled around his index finger, head now resting on his shoulder.

“Wirt?” his mother poked her head in from the entry way, carrying four boxes stacked in her arms. “These are your boxes here; you and Greg will need to decide which room is yours. Your step-father and I get the bigger one on the left wing of the hallway.”

It was only fair; their room had to fit two people, and frankly Wirt liked smaller rooms. It made them cozier, at least in his opinion. He set Yin Wei down, taking the boxes from her. They were unbelievably heavy, yet his thin noodle like arms seemed to be able to carry them without any problem. Even Dave could probably only take two boxes of this weight at a time, and the man worked out at least every morning before heading to work.

No, something was different. Something wasn’t right. As he walked up the wooden stairs, he could feel the thoughts returning. Ever since returning from The Unknown, something in him had changed. Not just his lack of confidence, which had been given a boost and his treatment of Greg, but something in him had changed. He didn’t know how to explain it to Greg; the smaller boy wouldn’t know what to make of it and he certainly couldn’t tell his mother and Dave. They wouldn’t believe him.

“Oh brother o’ mine!”

Still holding the boxes, he waited in the upstairs hallway for his brother. Greg bounced up the stairs, Jason still in his arms as he grinned up at Wirt. “Mom said we have to decide whose room is whose! I want the big one!”

The little boy charged to the room on the right wing, directly across from their parents. Wirt followed him, just to make sure the room wasn’t the smaller one. Of course it wasn’t. It wasn’t as big as their parent’s room, but still big enough for Greg’s racecar bed and his toys. Wirt smiled and shook his head fondly before heading to the room next to it. This room was about the size of his room back home, if not a bit smaller. The walls were painted a light dusty orange and the floor a dark pine. He set his boxes on the ground; arms not the least bit sore.

The window was a rather large square and it looked straight across the road to the Mystery Shack, where he could see a triangle looking window looking right at his. “I wonder what kind of style that is,” he mumbled to himself. “I don’t recall most windows being triangular, huh.”

“Mom, Wirt’s talking to himself again!”

“Greg!” he snapped lightly, and the smaller boy that was now in his doorway grinned mischievously at him.

Their mother poked her head in, Yin Wei on her hip. “Boys, be good, okay?” she gave them a semi stern look, though her eyes looked amused. “If not, then I’ll speak to you two in only Chinese for a year.”

Both boys gulped, giving each other a look. Wirt wouldn’t put it past his mother to do that and quite frankly, he didn’t want to go crazy again. Greg turned around to face his mother, saluting her. “Aye-aye Captain Mom!”

She laughed, patting his head before opening the door to Yin Wei’s room. Dave huffed, carrying tow heavy boxes. When he peered into Wirt’s room, he looked at the tall boy in disbelief. “Seriously Wirt, how could you carry all those boxes? Even I can’t do that. What is you and your mother’s secret workout technique? Maybe you should go out for basketball or football.”

Wirt flushed. “I’m not athletic in any way.”

“Yeah!” Greg chimed in. “Wirt’s a stick!”

“I am not a stick!”

“Yes you are!”

Dave just shook his head, grunting as he set the two boxes in his and Wirt’s mother’s room. Greg plopped himself on one of the boxes, Jason now sitting delicately in his lap. “Wirt, can we explore today?”

“Not now,” he shook his head. “Later, when we’re done unpacking. How about tomorrow?”

“Okay!”

~

“Do you find it weird that they think The Unknown is a real place?”

Xiāng líng looked up from the box on the counter of the kitchen, placing the silverware in their respective places. The kitchen was full of unpacked and packed boxes and it was only nine-thirty. The living room still needed to be packed, but at least the bedrooms were taken care of. Mostly. Greg still needed to sort through his room and Yin Wei’s room needed to be organized, but they had plenty of time to do that. Wirt’s room was done for the most part and he promised to go explore with Greg to get the small boy out of the house and get some air.

“No,” she responded easily, pausing briefly at the baby monitor resting next to Dave’s fountain drink. “I don’t think it’s weird at all.”

Dave just looked at her carefully, now fiddling with the straw from his Pitt Cola. “I know you said that there were some interesting things in your family and while I’ve seen it firsthand, surely some place like The Unknown doesn’t exist.”

“Who’s to say it doesn’t?” she shrugged, pulling out a chair to sit down. “If it were a dream, how would they be having the same one? Something happened that night, Dave. It changed their lives. Do you know that Greg’s frog has a bell inside of him?”

“He does?”

She nodded. “I don’t think they’re making it up. I know it was a traumatic experience; being near death and all, but it’s changed them. More so Wirt. He’s been acting…differently.”

“I know,” he moved his drink back, reaching across to grip her hand. “He’s nicer to Greg; they’re getting along so much better than they ever had. I thought that when Yin Wei was born, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her too, but he’s so protective now. He’s changed, dear.”

“That’s what I was getting to,” she squeezed her hand. “Part of the reason for moving here was to get him away from that town. To get him away from those memories and you wanted to start your business up here as well. While I like that he’s nicer to Greg and wants to spend time with him, he worries me. He’s distant and always spacing out and I hear him wake up at night from nightmares. When I asked him, he always says something about a Beast that wants to turn him into a tree.”

“A tree? Are you serious?”

She narrowed her eyes and he held up his hands. She continued on, staring intensely at the tattoo on her right arm. “It happened, you know. It happened to him and there’s something coming. I don’t know what it is, call it a sixth sense, but he needs to be ready. Greg too.”

Dave frowned, staring at her tattoo cautiously. “Isn’t seven a little too young to get a tattoo? I mean, I know it’s a family tradition but I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to tattoo your child.”

“It’s the symbol of our family,” she explained again. “I gave Wirt his when he was six and I received mine at that age too. If you want, we can wait a few more years and we can wait till Yin Wei’s older too. But they need to be prepared.”

“What do you think’s coming? Is it that creature?”

She gazed out the window, dark eyes now lost to a world he couldn’t find. “I should explain things to Wirt; Greg too,” she sighed, rubbing her temples now as if she had a migraine. “If it’s who I think it is, then training must be done. It won’t be so hard for Wirt, but for Greg it might be.”

Dave raised a brow. “What kind of training are we talking about here? Is the training you went through as a child?” when she nodded her head yes, he shook his head. “I love Wirt and everything, but he doesn’t look like much of a fighter. Look at him; he’d make a good basketball player or track runner, but he doesn’t have much weight or drive.”

Xiāng líng just stared at the table. “He will do a lot better than you or he thinks. I’m happy that Greg doesn’t recall much from their encounter except for weird, yet oddly happy moments. You’ve heard the Adelaide parade song, right?” when he nodded, she continued on. “Wirt on the other hand remembers all of the experience; good and bad. It’s changed him. He’s awakened.”

“Awakened? So soon?”

“I was nine when I awakened,” she snapped lightly before softening her gaze. “You were there, remember?”

“How could I forget,” he murmured. “After almost losing both my boys last Halloween, the most horrible memory next to that is that day back in 1985.”

They both shuddered slight, thinking back to that day so long ago. Xiāng líng took his hand again, his skin warm and firm. For a brief moment, she wondered why or how they fell out of contact as children, but she felt extremely fortunate to have found him again. “David,” she spoke. “If anything happens to you or to the children, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

“And if anything happens to you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself,” he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “We are a family, dear. And family protects one another.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Dave.”

~

“Wirt! Wirt! Wirt, come on! Get up!”

The teenager rolled over to the left side of his bed, his back now to the intruder invading his room and sleep. “Go away, Greg, I’m trying to sleep. Go back to bed.”

“I can’t!” the small boy huffed, flopping on Wirt’s bed and sprawling out like a starfish against his back. “The sun’s awake, so I’m awake! And I want to go exploring!”

Cracking an eye open, he glanced over at the alarm clock perched on his bed. Boxes still littered the floor, most of them empty while the rest were still full of things. The second moving van wouldn’t get to the house till later that day, so his desk and dresser were still absent. Narrowing his dark eyes at the black device, he groaned.

“Greg, it’s only eight. Go back to bed.”

“…Mom made Baozi.”

He immediately sat up, Greg quickly scampering off him and running out the door with a mischievous laugh. Throwing his blanket off him, he ran after his brother, practically play fighting with him down the stairs. The smells of steaming dough and the spicy smells of pork. Most of the kitchen was set up, plates put in the cupboard next to the fridge and the steamer right next to the microwave. Their mother stood in front of the steamer, tending to the contents inside. She was singing in Chinese, her voice low and calm in the early morning summer light.

“Zăo,” he greeted, his mother jumping in surprise at the sound of his voice. She turned her head, smiling at him in greeting.

“Zăo boys,” she set grabbed two cups from the cupboard in front of her head. “Wirt, could you get the milk out of the fridge, please?”

“Sure,” he moved past Greg, who was eyeing the steamer in an almost impatient way. He poured them two glasses of milk, setting the bigger cup in front of Greg. “So you can get big and strong,” he teased, watching as Greg gulped the white liquid down. He looked around the kitchen, noticing almost the entire family in the kitchen. His mother at the steamer, Yin Wei in her baby swing, Greg drinking milk and Dave, for some reason, was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Dave? And when did you have time to make this?”

His mother glanced back at him. “I couldn’t sleep well last night, so I got up early and decided to surprise you guys,” she smiled sheepishly. “The grocery store was open, so I got us groceries for this week. Dave went to go see how the set up for the café is coming along.”

“Oh,” Wirt took a seat next to Greg, the small boy now donning a milk mustache. He grinned, drinking his and allowing the formula to sit on his upper lip as well. Greg laughed, pointing at his older brother.

“You look funny, half-brother o’ mine!” he giggled before turning to their mother. “Look Mom! We’ve grown mustaches!

“Ah, my boys are turning into men. Whatever shall I do?” she feigned sadness before pulling the steaming buns out of the steamer and setting them on a plate. She put in in front of them, giving each of them a stern look. “Save some for your father. Yes Greg, I’m looking at you. You know he likes Baozi as much as you two do.”

“Yes ma’am,” Greg saluted her, that silly grin still on his face and melting the stern look of their mothers. She returned to putting more dough buns into the steamer, looking over every now and then to their baby sister, now grabbing for the baby toys hanging from the swing.

They ate in silence, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful morning that had befallen the town. Early morning sunlight crept through the windows, sending tiny dust particles to float through the air. Wirt bit into one of his steamed buns, immensely enjoying the warmth of the steamed dough and spice the pork gave off. His mother’s cooking was the best, no one could compete with her in his opinion. She set more buns to the side, turning off the steamer and putting two of them on her own plate. She sat across from them and if he looked closely, he could see bags forming under her eyes.

He felt a bit guilty for being so pessimistic during the entire move. Moving wasn’t easy for any of them and with opening up a new business in a small town where she didn’t know anyone or had no idea if the business would be successful. Of course she understood it was difficult for him too; he’d lived in their old town his whole life.

“All done!” Greg put his plate in the sink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Come on, Wirt! Let’s go explore!”

He set his own plate in the sink, looking to their mother for permission. She waved her hand, nodding for them. “Let him run around, Wirt. Who knows, you might make some friends.”

“Let’s go!” Greg pulled on his hand, attempting to pull him out the door, but Wirt planted his feet firmly on the ground.

“We should probably get dressed first, Greg,” he shook his head. “We’re not running around outside in our pajamas.”

“Why not?”

He didn’t dignify that question with a response and hurried upstairs. Throwing on a clean pair of underwear and jeans and trying to decide between a blue sweater and an orange sweater. In the end, he decided to stick with blue one, thinking the orange one would make him stick out too much. By the time he thought he was ready, Greg burst into his room carrying an item he knew all too well. “Greg, no, I’m not wearing the hat.”

Greg’s smile just grew wider. “Why not? You’d wear it my school sometimes!”

“That was different.”

“How?”

Alright, so he didn’t have a response to that, so he just took the hat in defeat. While he felt rather silly wearing it and he knew he’d get looks. However, wearing it also gave him a sense of bravery. He beat The Beast while wearing this. He conquered The Unknown wearing this hat. He could, as Greg would often say, do anything he set his mind to.

“Okay Greg,” he added the cape, just for show. “Am I ready now?”

“Yes!”

He noticed the teapot now on the boy’s head and allowed the smaller boy to pull him out the door into the early June morning. Greg was in awe of everything, walking around the small town with wonder. This town was weird, Wirt would give it that. A fire hydrant had broken and instead of calling someone to fix it, two police officers ran through it in a circle waving their shirts around. He promptly covered Greg’s eyes.

“Let’s go over here,” he pulled the boy away from the fire hydrant scene, holding tightly to Greg’s hand and waited till it was safe to cross the street. When they got to the other side, he let go of the boy’s hand as they stood outside the library. His hand twitched, aching to open the doorknob, but Greg turned away.

“Nope. Nuh uh, no books,” Greg walked backwards, shaking his head. “I’ll never like studying!”

“Greg, its summer. Who said anything about studying?” he laughed, but followed his brother anyway. The library could be ventured another time. “Hey, how about we go find Dave and see how the business is coming along.”

“Okay!” the boy nodded. “Where did Dad say it was located again?”

“Um,” did the man even tell them where it was? “No? But that’s okay because this town is small land we’ll find it quickly. Greg?” he felt himself panic when the small boy disappeared. “Greg, come back! You can’t wander around on your own!”

It wasn’t hard to spot the boy, considering he was small and wearing a teapot on his head. Wirt chased after him, longer legs immediately catching up to the boy and placing a steady hand on his shoulder. “Greg!” he narrowed his eyes, all serious now. “You can’t run off on your own like that! What if you got hurt? Or some stranger decides to stuff you in their van? Mom and Dave would flip!”

“But that won’t happen,” Greg reasoned cheerfully. “Because you’ll stop them. You’ll always stop them, brother o’ mine.”

He wanted to tell his brother no, that he wouldn’t always be around, but the look in Greg’s dark eyes stopped him. Greg always looked at him like that, like he was somehow an inspiration; someone to look up to. Why? He didn’t really know. He’d been horrible to Greg in the past, something he regretted very much. He didn’t realize how much he loved his little brother till he almost lost him. He wasn’t going to let that happen again.

“Just stay near me, okay?” he sighed, trying to not sound tired. “How about we go see that Mystery shack? Let’s see if it’s real or fake.”

“I bet it’s real!” Greg chirped, setting Jason atop his head. “I wonder if there are any frogs in there! Maybe Jason can start a band again!”

“Maybe,” he found himself laughing, feeling Greg take his hand again. The boy’s hand squeezed his gently, as if he were reassuring him in a small way that things would be okay here.

He paused when he felt the tingling sensation on his back. Turning around slightly and looking into the trees of Gravity Falls’ forest, he swore he could see two circular eyes staring at him. When he blinked, they were gone. There was nothing out there but trees and bushes.

“Wirt?” he heard Greg asked, the boy now not smiling. “What? Is there an alien bear monster out there?”

“No,” he shook his head, resuming their way to the Mystery Shack. “It was nothing, Greg.”

~

To say the least, Wirt was impressed.

Not by the contents inside, oh no, it was clear they were fake, but he was impressed by how the elderly man was able to convince all the tourists. Including Greg, who was easily impressed by anything.

Wirt wanted to leave the entire time, refusing to pay extra money to the guy, whose name he couldn’t remember at the moment. The old man glared at him with dislike, probably sensing that Wirt could see through his act and Wirt found he couldn’t care less if the old man disliked him. It wasn’t as if he worked here or anything.

So here they were now in the gift shop, looking through all the items the little tourist trap had to offer. He had twenty dollars in his pocket, promising to buy Greg something if he behaved. So far the boy was on his best behavior, eyeing a grappling hook that was incredibly expensive. Well, there went his twenty dollars.

“HIAYH! DIE GNOME! DIE!”

He immediately let out a yelp as a broom smacked him on the back repeatedly. The other customers looked surprised at the scene, scrambling away as Wirt ran past them, covering his head as the person with the broom smacked him. A girl, he supposed around his own age, chased him through the store with a war cry. “Stop!” he pleaded. “Please! Stop it! I’ll give you money! Anything!”

“I WON’T BE YOUR QUEEN! NOW DIE!”

“Mabel, cut it out! Can’t you see that’s not a gnome?”

“Dipper, can’t you see it’s a giant gnome? They’ve mutated! The revolution has happened!”

“Mabel!” the boy sighed, grabbing the broom away from her. “This is a regular guy! Look at him; he doesn’t even have a beard.”

The girl stopped, glaring at Wirt for a few seconds before her cheeks flared pink. “Oh goodness,” she blushed harder, inching the collar of her sweater up to her face, muffling her voice. “I am so sorry; so sorry!”

“Uh,” Wirt found himself blushing as well. “It’s okay?”

“Yeah, sorry about that man,” the boy shook his head at his sister, patting her back. “We’ve had some pretty weird experiences here and one of them had to do with gnomes. My name is Dipper, Dipper Pines.”

“Walter Palmer,” he took the boy’s extended hand, still a bit dazed after what had just happened. “But everyone calls me Wirt.”

“And I’m Greg!” the little boy danced to where they were, popping up in between them. “I’m Wirt’s younger half-brother!”

“This is my twin sister Mabel,” Dipper indicated towards the girl now hiding in her sweater. “She’s in sweaterville right now, but I’m sure she’ll come out eventually. Right, Mabel?”

“No,” came the girl’s muffled voice.

Dipper rolled his eyes at his twin, patting her on the back. “Anyway, do you want some ice? I know that probably hurt; Mabel doesn’t hold back when it comes to gnomes.”

“Sure,” he responded, sitting on the stool near the cash register. Dipper disappeared towards the door of the shop, exiting behind it. Greg immediately hopped up on his lap, making a plop sound for effort. He sighed through his nose. “Greg, maybe you should pick something else? Something a bit safer.”

“Nope,” Greg shook his head. “We might need this.”

“When has a grappling hook ever been needed?”

“I saved my little bro with it,” he jumped at the sound of Mabel’s voice, instantly shielding Greg from her and hunching his body over. The girl smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that; I just kind of panicked. A group of gnomes sometimes try and make me their Queen every summer.”

“Huh?”

“Yup. That’s right; I said gnomes!” she smiled, showing off her perfectly straight white teeth. She jumped up onto the counter, dangling her legs over the edge. “So who are you two? You don’t look like tourists.”

“We just moved here yesterday,” Wirt responded, trying to remove the grappling hook from Greg’s hands. “From a town forty-five minutes away from Detroit.”

“Michigan?” Mabel cocked her head when he nodded. “But that’s so far away. What brings you to Gravity Falls?”

“Our mom and Greg’s dad decided to open up business here after…” he railed off, trying to ignore he quizzical stare. “…after our sister was born.”

Greg looked up at him. “That’s not why we moved here-mmmf!”

He instantly covered Greg’s mouth, grinning pathetically up at the girl. “So, do you and your brother live here?”

“Yup,” Mabel nodded. “We’ve been living here since the summer we turned fourteen. Our parents,” her gaze went distant for a moment; brown eyes now far away before she blinked the tears back. “Our parents died in an accident. We were just returning home from our summer visit when we got the phone call. Our Grunkles took us in the second they heard, so we’ve been living here ever since.”

“Wow,” was all Wirt managed to get out, suddenly feeling sorry for the girl. “I’m so sorry to hear that, really.”

“It’s alright now,” she shook her head. “I miss them, but I’m glad I still have Dipper. If he had been there, I don’t know how I would go on.”

“I heard my name, what are we talking about?” Dipper spoke as he returned to the room; bag of ice in hand as he handed it to Wirt. “Oh, it looks like Mabel finally came out of sweaterville.”

“Shut up,” she laughed, lightly punching her younger twin. She then looked at Jason, smiling even bigger now. “You two like frogs?”

“Yup!” Greg chirped. “This is Jason Funderberker, our frog. He’s an excellent singer and almost had a record contract!”

Both twins shared looks with each other and suddenly, Wirt felt defensive. Not that the twins’ look was mean or anything, but he knew what they were thinking. That Greg was weird; he was making stuff up and that made him a liar. He immediately began to think of things to say to them in the boy’s defense when Dipper shrugged. “That’s pretty cool. I would love to hear him sing. Do you think he could sing for us now?”

“Oh no,” Greg shook his head. “He’s very shy around new people. Like Wirt!”

“Hey!”

Mabel giggled. “I like you Greg, you’re cute!” she patted the boy’s teapot and he sent her the sweetest of smiles.

“Why thank you pretty lady,” he smiled cutely. “I like you too!”

“Just for that, I’m deciding you can have that grappling hook for free!”

“WHAT?”

The four of them jumped when the old man came back into the room, staring at the girl with narrowed eyes. “Did I hear the word free?” he growled lightly. “We don’t hand free things out here at the Mystery Shack.”

Mabel wasn’t even frightened of him, just standing up with her hands on her hips. “Grunkle Stan,” she tilted her head. “Why you actin’ so cray cray?”

“I’m not cray cray!” he protested, narrowing his eyes at the two boys seated on the stool. “Why is that boy wearing a gnome hat and the other a teapot? Wait, no, I don’t even want to know.”

“I’m an elephant!” Greg proclaimed proudly, Jason ribbiting in agreement.

“Yikes, and I thought Mabel was crazy,” Grunkle Stan muttered, ruffling the girl’s head affectionately. “Anyway, there are no free things in the Mystery Shack! That grappling hook is eighteen dollars!”

“Dam-rnit!” Wirt quickly amended, ignoring the mischievous smile growing on Greg’s lips. He immediately glared at the boy. “Don’t you tell Mom I almost swore!”

“Get the grappling hook and I won’t!”

“Fine!”

“Hey, are you two the kids of the man that was just here not too long ago asking for tape?” Dipper spoke up, taking the device from Greg and ringing it up. “I think his name was, David?”

“That’s our Dad!” Greg chirped. “We’re opening up a café in a week! Or was it two?”

“A week,” Wirt corrected. “It’s called Liánhuā.”

“The what?” Dipper asked, blinking his eyes like an owl.

“Sorry,” Wirt found himself blushing out of embarrassment this time. “It means Lotus flower. Our Mom’s Chinese and the café is Chinese themed.”

“Cool!” Mabel exclaimed, both her and Dipper’s grins matching. “We don’t have a Chinese restaurant in town.”

“It’s not really a restaurant,” Wirt mumbled. “We’re not open at night.”

“Still,” Dipper began casually, taking the twenty dollar bill from Wirt. “That’s pretty cool. Do you and your brother speak Chinese? Cantonese or Mandarin dialect?”

“We do,” Wirt nodded, grinning shyly. “Well, our Mom speaks it more fluently than we do. Greg can speak a little but we don’t know how to write it. We use the Mandarin dialect since our Mom is from Beijing, which is in Northern China.”

“Cool,” Dipper nodded, eyes looking fascinated for some reason. “Could you, like, say something in Chinese?”

“Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ de màozi, Dipper.”

Mabel raised an eyebrow. “What did you say?”

Greg smiled, practically glowing with pride while Wirt just blushed harder. “He said I like your hat, Dipper.”

Dipper reached up to adjust the cap on his head, grinning. “Thanks,” he then looked to the hat on Wirt’s head. “I like your hat, too. Even if it makes you look like a gnome.”

The two brunette twins shared a smile with each other, something passing between them that Wirt could not read. Dipper handed Greg his grappling hook and placed Wirt’s change on the counter. “We should hang out; all four of us,” Mabel continued on. “You guys seem pretty cool. How old are you anyway?”

“Fifteen; sixteen in September. I’m a junior in high school.”

“Cool! So are we!” Mabel started sweetly. “My brother and I are celebrating our sweet sixteen on the 31 of August! We’ll be juniors too!”

Well it looks like his mother was right; he did make some new friends. Awesome! He gave himself a mental pat on the back for doing so well. Greg grinned, taking the piece of paper Mabel handed to him. “This is our numbers; text us anytime,” Mabel began, pulling showing Greg her own grappling hook. “We’ll definitely be going to that restaurant!”

“It’s a café,” Wirt corrected quietly.

“Don’t bother,” Dipper smirked. “She’ll never say it correctly.”

They exited the Mystery Shack, waving goodbye to Dipper and Mabel as they did. For a moment, Wirt actually felt happy. He just made two new friends in this weird town and now, it didn’t feel so unfamiliar. Maybe things would be okay here. The nightmares and panic attacks might stop and things would be fine.

He had no idea how wrong he was; nor was he aware of the storm brewing in the horizon.


	2. One way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A surprise visitor makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented and left a kudo! And to those who bookmarked! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's not as long as the first one, but I make no promises in length. Some might be very long and some might only be a thousand words. It all depends on the situation. So anyway, Wirt and his family speak Mandarin Chinese. I don't know the difference, but if you notice something wrong in translations, please let me know!
> 
> Have some chocolate cake! *Passes out cake* You might need it for this chapter.

_One way or another,_

_I'm gonna find you,_

_I'm gonna get you,_

_And one way or another,_

_I'm gonna win you,_

_I'm gonna get you, get you, get you_

_~One way or another by Blondie~_

_*Listen to the version by Until the ribbon breaks; it fits better*_

**(October 31, 2014, Detroit Hospital)**

_The door to their hospital room was flung open with a loud slam._

_Xiāng Líng Macavin, despite being five months pregnant, practically threw open the door to where it could have fallen off its hinges. Long black hair coming loose from her ponytail, she ran into the hospital room with wide, fearful eyes. Wirt was instantly tackled with a hug, letting out a strained noise as her strong arms wrapped around him. Dave, his step-father, had pulled Greg into his arms, tears flowing freely down his face as he cried silently. Greg just hugged him back; perfectly content._

_Wirt knew his mother didn’t normally cry, but he felt the tears seep into his shirt. The other teenagers in the room, consisting of Sara, Jason Funderberker, Kathleen and Rhonda all exchanged glances before Sara ushered them out of the room. The noises from the monitors and outside were hushed out by the loud, broken sob erupting from their mother._

_Wirt didn’t know what to do; only that he continued to hold her as she held onto him for dear life. She wasn’t just sobbing, no she was crying as if she had just entered the world as a newborn baby. Wirt could feel the tears in his own eyes forming, slowly dripping down his face as reality settled in. He and Greg could have died. If he hadn’t found that loop hole…his throat tightened at the thought of it as his mother held him tighter._

_Had his mother always been this strong? When he was little, he loved it when she held him. She was so strong and protective. He could only recall a few times when he had been hugged or held by his father (before the divorce, of course), but he could remember that the hugs felt distant; awkward. As far as he was concerned, his mother was the strongest person he knew. Now here she was, so emotional as she cried on his shoulder._

_“My babies,” she cried, letting out a shaky breath. “I…I could…I could have lost both of you! I can’t…I can’t begin to…imagine a world without…you two!”_

_“Mom,” he began, voice cracking. “Don’t…don’t cry, it’s okay now. We’re okay.”_

_“No it’s not!” she cried harder, moving her face from his shoulder and hands gently cupping his face.  “I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I lost my boys!”_

_“Mom,” Greg hopped up on the bed, their mother immediately releasing Wirt and pulling the smaller boy into her lap. “Don’t cry! Moms aren’t supposed to cry! That’s a rock fact!”_

_“Oh you silly boy,” a smile broke through her lips and she buried her face into Greg’s hair, rubbing his back soothingly. “I’m so happy you two are alright. You are alright, aren’t you? Do I need to get the doctor?”_

_“No,” Wirt shook his head. “We should be released in a few days, I think.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_“Yes.”_

_He didn’t even have time to blink as another pair of arms were thrown around him. He had never, not even as a younger child, let Dave hug him. Now the man’s arms were around him, hugging him as if he were his own. Wirt paused in his thoughts, remembering the times he refused to even acknowledge Dave; the times he’d been so needlessly rude and cold. Yet, this man cared for him so much. More than his own father even did._

_When Dave let go, he wiped his eyes. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I know you don’t like to be hugged a lot.”_

_“It’s okay,” he felt the guilt again; just like when he remembered the times he’d been cold and aloof to Greg. How hadn’t he realized how short life was? How it could easily disappear in a matter of seconds. “It’s okay, Dad.”_

_A light of recognition flickered in his step-father’s eyes as he stepped back to allow his arm to wrap around their mother. Wirt leaned back into his bed, letting the sound of his mother’s voice woe him into a sense of stability and comfort._

_“_ _A, zěnme qīng qīng de fēng chuānguò shùyè hūyìng_ _, suízhe qiūtiān de yánsè xiàjiàng, wǔdǎo zhōng jīn huíyì xuánwō, suǒyǒu de zuì kě'ài de huǎngyán…”_

_~_

**(June 10, 2015, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

By June 10, a Wednesday, The Liánhuā was packed.

Of course it had only been open for three days, but the residents of Gravity Falls had kept the café busy. The small business sat across from _Greasy’s diner,_ a weird name for a restaurant, but Wirt had to admit the pancakes were good. Even Greg, whose favorite American breakfast food was waffles, admitted very loudly that Lazy Susan was an excellent cook. The waitress than preceded to laugh and fill Greg’s plate with extra pancakes, declaring them on the house.

The café was packed today, Wirt assuming that the lunch rush was the reason, but he didn’t say anything. The café now smelled of an assortment of coffees and teas, all controlled by his step-father as his mother was in the kitchen, making recipes she learned as a child in Beijing. The scents of Ginseng and Jasmine invading his nose in a pleasant way, reminding him of the perfume his mother used to wear. Now she smelled like lilacs, but he remembered the time she used to wear the expensive perfume his father would buy her.

Four incense burners were on each of the four walls, next to pictures of China and Chinese characters his mother had collected over the years. The walls were a light beige color with paintings of mountains, rivers, and other wildlife that was present in his mother’s birth country. The parts of the wall that weren’t painted had the pictures and scrolls. The register and casing for snacks had a portrait of his grandfather, Liang Gang He.

Right now, the café was filled up to a decent amount. It was Wirt’s job to go to customers sitting down and see what they would like, but for the most part, the customers just went up to the register to ask for beverages and such. Right now, he was rocking Yin Wei’s swing in the back of the register, Dave busy making a green tea for a tourist that was looking at the place in awe. Wirt felt a surge of pride at his mother and step-father’s hard work. Years of planning and budgeting had made this possible; his mother’s dream to start his grandfather’s café had finally paid off.

Until they found a babysitter on the days Wirt was helping out, they brought the four month old to work. Of course Wirt only worked four out of the seven days a week and he was more than willing to look after his younger sister and brother. Almost a year ago, he wouldn’t even have suggested it; they would have had to ask. Funny how a near death experience could change that.

Yin Wei’s tiny hand gripped his right index finger, the only way she could really say how much she loved them. Rocking her back and forth was soothing, relaxing to his tired mind. He didn’t sleep last night. Not after the nightmare. The nightmare was just as bad as the others, only thank goodness he didn’t scream and wake the whole house up. No, this one only left him shaking with cold sweat running down his back and face. Then he cried into the pillow in an attempt to calm himself down.

It didn’t help that he thought he saw eyes staring at him through his window.

Of course nothing was there; it was just his subconscious playing tricks on him. The psychiatrist had said he was just suffering from PTSD, though he wasn’t sure why Greg didn’t have it. Maybe it was because the boy remembered only the fun and happy moments they shared in The Unknown. He wouldn’t let Greg bear the burden of having good and bad memories from their experience. It was his burden to bear in life; the responsibility of the older sibling. He had to protect his little brother; little sister too.

The only time Greg had a panic attack was the school play back in December, where they tried to force him into the tree costume and Greg threw a fit, locking himself in the closet. Wirt was the only one who could talk him into it, saying that if he noticed the roots start growing, he would rip the costume off him. Of course that hadn’t happened and Greg was fine afterwards, but he let the younger boy share his bed that night.

“Hey Wirt, do you think you can handle the cash register? I gotta go to the store room,” Dave said, wiping a big of coffee residue on his apron. “Could you do that for me?”

“Sure,” he nodded, standing up. For an almost sixteen year old, he was almost taller than his step-father. He inherited it from his father, he supposed. He would probably be over six feet by the start of college. His father was of tall stature, after all.

The thought of his father soured his mood slightly. The man hadn’t even called once after hearing about the accident over the garden wall. There was nothing from him. No call, text, card, email, etc. He tried not to let it bother him; he thought he had gotten used to the bitter feeling of disappointment. Apparently he was wrong.

The bells to the door jingled, letting him know a customer had walked in. He had been looking down at something on the register desk, and when he looked up, there was no one. The customers that had been there earlier were still at the tables, drinking their coffee or the Chinese delicacies his mother had prepared.  Stepping around the desk, he ventured towards the back of the establishment.

No one sat back there; most customers preferring to sit up front. A lone man sat with his back towards him dressed entirely in black. Wirt had to question that, considering it was ninety nine degrees outside. His hair was a dark sandy blonde and his back was straight against the dark wooden chair, like some sort of classy gentleman.

Wirt frowned, the hairs on the back of his neck tingling with apprehension. He gulped, stuffing down his nervousness to go up to the man. “Uh, hi, welcome to Liánhuā, what can I get for you?”

“I see you’ve grown, Lover boy. Two inches has made a difference, would you not agree?”

His heart stopped right then and there, the temperature in the room lowering to the point he felt clammy. The incense burner near the wall went out and his hands began to shake, eyes widening to the size of golf balls. That voice. No, it couldn’t be. This wasn’t real, he was dead! He had to be dead! The Woodsman blew out the lantern, he couldn’t be real! Wirt stepped back, the man turning his head slightly.

“Sit down, Wirt.”

It was an order rather than a friendly request. With shaking legs, he stepped towards the man and took the seat across from him, eyes glued to the red clothed table. His stomach churned violently, ears buzzing with the noise of Chinese music. The blood drained from his face and his hands shook underneath the table.

“Look at me.”

The voice softly commanded him, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the golden dragon pattern on the red cloth table.

“Look. At. Me.” A hand reached out, grabbing his face harshly. His jaw was immediately seized, forced to look up into those beautifully pale, almost colorless eyes. Like looking at death itself. How fitting. The man smiled pleasantly, showing off perfect white teeth. “Much better, wouldn’t you agree?”

A million thoughts were running through his mind, but only a single word came out. “How?”

The man, no, The Beast, smirked. “How indeed. Let’s just say that I have many secrets, Wirt. Many friends in high places,” the hand relaxed on his jaw, though the fingers felt like they were burning through his skin. “Those are useful, aren’t’ they?”

“How are you alive?” the shock was beginning to wear off, anger now settling in. So help him if this thing decided to go after Greg, he would kill it. Lantern or not, he would find a way. “What do you want? If you go after Greg, I swear to God-“

“I am not here for Gregory,” The Beast continued smoothly. “Quite the contrary, actually, I am here for you, Wirt.”

He blinked twice, his mouth going dry. “M…me?” he asked, wanting very desperately to get away from this demon. “Why me?”

“It’s a mystery to us all, isn’t it?” The Beast answered mockingly, his pale hand now retreating from his face. “That you, the only one to ever escape me; the only one to outsmart me, should have my interest. Really Lover boy, I figured you would be smart enough to figure things out.”

“Just what do you want?” he tried to keep his voice steady; trying very hard to appear unafraid in front of The Beast. After all, didn’t the creature rely on fear to survive? “What are you doing here? How did you get here? Is that even your body?”

“If I told you all my secrets, that wouldn’t be fun, now would it?” The Beast mocked, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. “At first I was skeptical, but now I see the resemblance.”

“What are you talking about?”

A pale hand stretched out, grabbing Wirt’s right wrist almost tenderly. Long cold fingers pushed back his sleeve, revealing the tattoo he’d been given a long time ago. “I recognize this symbol,” The Beast spoke in a relaxed manner, thumb carefully caressing the inked part of his skin. “At first I thought nothing of you and your little brother, but then I saw the symbol and I knew. Ironic that for someone so weak you would be connected to something so great.”

He shivered slightly, not liking the way the creature said, “Great.” He pulled his wrist back with surprising ease, noticing how The Beast didn’t even put up a fight. “State your business,” he demanded. “Are you here to kill me? Take me back to The Unknown’? Because if you think I’d willingly leave with you, you’re wrong!”

The Beast only grinned, lips spreading too wide to be human and the pearly white teeth looking a bit too sharp. “I’m not here to kill you; if I wanted to I would have done so by now,” he chuckled, ignoring the angered look Wirt gave him. “How are the nightmares? Horribly unpleasant, I would imagine.”

“Who told you about those?” he asked through gritted teeth. “Why are you stalking me?”

“Oh, those nightmares are gift created by a…friend of mine,” The Beast chuckled again, his hand now reaching out to stroke his face. Wirt could only sit there, numb with shock and horror as cold fingertips caressed his cheek in, dare he say, an almost loving manner. “The nightmares that I am allowing you to have are a little taste for what is to come for the future. A thank you will suffice.”

“Thank you? Why would I thank you?” Wirt snapped, scooting his chair back to stand up. The Beast looked up at him through narrowed eyes, clearly not impressed by his bravery. “I have PTSD, did you know that? The psychiatrist told me and now everyone thinks I’m some paranoid freak! So there’s no way in hell that I would be thanking you!”

The Beast stood up, his chair scooting back silently. He was clearly taller than Wirt, standing over six feet and staring down at him with cold, unfeeling eyes. He had moved around the table so quickly that Wirt didn’t even have time to blink or catch his breath. The face was so close to his he could practically feel The Beast’s cold breath hitting his face. “I could have let your brother have nightmares,” The Beast hissed. “I could have let him suffer, would you have rather have that? Do you want previous little Gregory to wake up every night screaming in terror of being turned into Edelwood.”

“Stay away from my brother!”

“Or perhaps I should go after that little sister of yours,” The Beast smirked. “I could bring her to The Unknown and have her wander around until she as well gives up.”

He rose his fist up to strike the demon, but The Beast caught his fist in mid swing. Twisting his wrist painfully, The Beast only snorted, ignoring the grunt of pain Wirt let out. “Let go of me!” he snapped at the demon. “Let go of me or I’ll scream and let everyone know what you’re doing!”

“But Lover boy, we’re the only ones here.”

Wirt’s eyes widened, The Beast letting go of his wrist so he could move towards the front of the café. The customers sat in their chairs, an almost dazed and glossy look filling their eyes. Like they were under some sort of hypnosis or tranquilizer or…something! “What did you do?” he hissed at The Beast. “What did you do to them?”

“Relax,” The Beast purred gently, hand cupping his chin gently as he moved to the front of his body. “They are in no danger; I have no business with them. My business is with you.”

Wirt only scowled, hissing in pain as the fingers tightened around his jaw. “What do you want from me? Let me go! Let go of me, you freak!”

He felt the vines twist around his body, though how they were able to break through the flooring of the café was beyond him. He struggled, attempting to free himself but each time he moved, the vines wrapped around him tighter. The Beast still held onto his face, head shaking in disappointment. It only made Wirt angrier, though he doubted the Edelwood like monster would care. “You will do well to respect me, boy,” The Beast sneered. “I could kill you right here and right now and no one would notice. I could make you disappear for days, months; years even. And you want to know why?”

When Wirt didn’t say anything, he leaned forward.

“Because you belong to me,” his face was close, way too close to his. “You are mine, Wirt. And I do not easily give up what belongs to me.”

“I belong to no one,” Wirt replied, surprised by how steady his voice sounded. “And especially not to someone like you.”

“Oh, but how wrong you are,” The Beast smiled lecherously, long fingers dancing across his cheek and down to his collarbone. “You’re special, Wirt. So very, very special. More special than you know,” the smile changed now, as if he knew something Wirt didn’t. “The only human to have bested me; the only one to ever escape me. I knew I had to have you.”

His stomach churned violently as The Beast leaned in closer. “N…no,” he protested, panicking as the vines tightened around his body. “Stay away from me!”

He never got to say anything else. The Beast’s pale, thin lips met his in a soft, yet firm kiss. The lips felt so unbelievably human, but that couldn’t be! None of this could be real! This had to be a dream; yes, this was all a dream. Any minute now he would wake up and the nightmare would be over.

Then the realistic part of his mind got to him. This was real. The Beast was right in front of him; never mind the fact that he looked human. The eyes and voice were still the same, just the body was different. He tried to pull his head back, but The Beast’s hands kept him in place. The lips moved against his so slowly that he wanted to cry. He knew his body was shaking, but he refused to respond or make any noise of discomfort. He wouldn’t give The Beast the satisfaction.

Finally, the demon pulled back, gingerly wiping his lips with his hand. “I must leave now,” he began, the vines around Wirt’s body now disappearing. “But I will be near, Lover Boy. A lot is coming and I hope you’re ready. You will be mine. I don’t know, or care for that matter, how long it takes, but you belong to me.”

Before Wirt could attack the demon, he was gone. The café customers were back to normal, the glazed look from their eyes disappearing. There were no signs of roots or vines on the ground or any damage to the flooring. It was almost like The Beast hadn’t been there at all.

“Wirt?” Dave spoke up, opening up some change to put in the register. “Is everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Everything’s fine,” Wirt responded, though he could tell his voice was shaking ever so slightly. “Everything’s fine.”

It didn’t help that he heard cruel laughter in the distance.

~

He couldn’t eat that night at dinner, his mind all over the place from the events that had just happened. Why? Just when things were so peaceful and simple, why did he have to come back and ruin it? Wirt narrowed his eyes, pushing the meatball around in the marinara sauce of his spaghetti. He normally liked his step-father’s spaghetti, but right now he wasn’t in the mood.

“Wirt, could you please pass the parsley? Wirt? Wirt?”

“Huh? What?” he looked up from his plate, noticing his mother looking at him in concern. He flushed pink, wanting to hide under the table as Greg giggled. “Could you repeat the question?”

She frowned. “I asked you to pass the parsley. Is everything okay? You’re spacing out more than usual.”

“Wirt’s in space!” Greg exclaimed, raising his fork into the air dramatically. “Captain Wirt can do anything!”

“Greg, put your fork down,” Dave scolded lightly, not stopping the smile from reaching his face. “You’ll drip sauce onto the floor.”

Of course Greg did as he was told; he was a good kid after all and picked up a piece of garlic bread, munching away on it cheerfully. Stepping out of her chair his mother stood up and walked around the table, placing a hand on his forehead. “You don’t have a fever,” she mused, motherly eyes searching for something wrong; something to ease her oldest son’s misery. “Do you have a headache? Do you want to lie down?”

“No,” he shook his head, pushing his plate back. “I’m not hungry; can I please be excused?”

With a wary look, his mother nodded though he could tell she wanted to say no. “Alright. I’ll put your plate in the microwave in case you’re hungry later.”

“Thanks Mom.”

He hurried upstairs to his room, closing the door softly behind him before he hurried to his bed, curling into a ball. The tears were flowing down his eyes, though they were not from sadness. He was so very scared; so full of uncertainty. What did The Beast mean? That he belonged to him? He belonged to no one! He felt the paranoia eat away at him, and he curled further into himself. He wasn’t safe; no one was safe. What if the demon hurt Greg? Or his parents? Or even Yin Wei, who was barely four months old.

“Wirt?” the door to his room opened, the sound of Greg’s small childlike voice filling the room. “Wirt, are you okay?”

“I…I’m fine, Greg. Go back to dinner.”

The boy ignored his request, jumping up on the bed and placing a hand over his. “You want to know a rock fact?” the boy asked, surprisingly gentle for a boy his size.

Tentatively, Wirt lifted his head from his knees. “What?”

“I’m getting a tattoo tomorrow,” Greg responded, pulling the rock from his shorts. “And it’s also a rock fact that it’s okay, Wirt,” the boy wrapped his arms around him in a comforting embrace that Wirt accepted whole heartedly. “You’re safe here. And I’m not in any danger, so you don’t need to worry. I promise you’ll be okay and I’ll take care of you. That, is a rock fact.”

He didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or cry at his brother’s logic, but somehow, he almost believed in the boy’s words. So he just pulled Greg into his lap and embraced the boy tightly. A part of him knew that Greg couldn’t protect him from The Beast and whatever the creature had planned, but the fact that the boy was willing to defend him made the paranoia ease.

He stared at the wall in front of him, the pictures of his family decorating the dresser. There was a picture of his mother and father during the early years of their marriage; and a picture of just him and his father. A picture of Dave and Greg during a vacation from long ago when the boy was only two. A picture of Sara and his friends and a newly added picture of his sister, just days after she was born.

Just looking at the pictures, especially of Greg and Yin Wei, made his jaw set. No longer was he that selfish and cowardly boy. He was the elder brother, the protector of his younger siblings. He was strong enough now to look after them properly and protect them. He wouldn’t let Greg do it all alone; he would protect the younger boy. The Beast would never get him; Wirt would not allow himself to be taken so easily.

“Hey Greg.”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys know what to do! For the hospital scene in the beginning I was rewatching Attack on Titan. The scene where Mikasa finds Eren alive was so movingn and I felt a scene similar to that fit. Next chapter will be fun, heh heh


	3. Spider Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go exploring with the twins and an old foe makes an appearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays! I've been working super hard on this chapter that's been taking me days to write. I promise to update Beyond the castle walls soon, but I've hit a roadblock that I need to sort out first. Anyways, I totally forgot to mention that I don't own the OC of Wirt's father, Mortimer Palmer. Mort belongs to Skimmingthesurface. You should totally check out the otgw verse they made! It's really fantastic! I had completely forgotten to credit them and I feel horrible for not doing so earlier. I'm sorry!
> 
> Anyways, you get this incredibly long ass chapter!!! XD Have some comfort food, though I don't really know if you'll need it, but take some anyway! *Hands out Biscotti to everyone*

_You've been invited to my spider dance,_

_Spider dance, Spider dance,_

_You know a heart like yours can't stand a chance,_

_In this dizzying, twisted, dark romance_

_~Spider Dance from Undertale~_

_*Listen to the one by Adrisaurus*_

**(September 14, 2005, Suburbs of Detroit)**

_“Will this hurt, Mama?”_

_Looking up from the tattoo machine she was sterilizing with rubbing alcohol, the pointed end glistening underneath the overhead light, his mother looked to him with her calm, dark eyes. He didn’t like sharp things, especially needles. Big, extra-long and sharp needles. The machine looked sharp and he knew his mother had apprenticed in a tattoo parlor, but he didn’t know that he would get a tattoo so soon. He flinched as she sat down at the kitchen table across from him, eyes staring intently at the sharp object in her hand._

_She moved a strand of her long, midnight black hair back from her face. “Yes, it will hurt,” she answered honestly, but not harshly. His mama was never mean; at least not to him. “But do you trust me, Wirt?”_

_“Yes,” she instinctively replied. “But…”_

_“Listen to me, tian tian,” she took his right arm, gently looking over the place where she wanted to cut. “This is a very special gift. I received mine when I turned six as well from my father, and he received his from his mother. The symbol of our family has been passed down for many generations.”_

_“Why?”_

_She ruffled his hair, the already messy locks becoming even more unkempt. As she uncapped the ink she received from one of her friends, she began to speak again. “You’ll learn why when you’re a bit older,” she sighed tiredly, the bags under her eyes evident. “Now, if you flinch or pull away, I might mess up and will have to start over. Can you be my brave little man?”_

_He nodded, feeling a swell of pride at being called a man. “Yes, Mama!”_

_“That’s my brave boy.”_

_He bit his lip tightly as she pressed the needle into his skin, just under the bones of his wrist. He bit his lip tightly in an attempt at holding in his pain, but he could feel the appendage trembling under his teeth. His eyes prickled with tears, but he wiped them away furiously before they began to fall. His mother kept focused on her work, humming soothingly in an attempt to keep him calm. So he decided to stare at the clock near the wall, remembering the story behind it._

_His mother grew up in Beijing before moving to the United States when she was seven. She rarely talked about it, though when she did, she only told him of what she did there as a child and that they moved to the States because her father’s business failed. She said she could still remember her old home very vividly and Buddhist temple nearby. She could recall the room in which she played in and the building where she went to school, but when she spoke, she always sounded so far away; lost in memories._

_The clock belonged to his grandmother, who died when his mother was nine years old. He didn’t know how, and it was one subject his mother refused to talk about. His grandfather died shortly before he was born, so he didn’t have any recollection of him. When she spoke of them, she sounded so prideful and she smiled a bit more, but there was always that look of bittersweet nostalgia in her eyes._

_“You’re doing well,” she spoke up after a few moments of silence. “I’m almost done with it.”_

_It really hadn’t taken too long, considering his tattoo would probably be the size of his mother’s, which was about as big as a quarter if not a tiny bit bigger. While it hurt, he’d grown used to the feeling and his lip had stopped trembling a while ago. He glanced back at the clock, the big hand getting closer to the twelve and the little closer to the two. “Mom,” he began quietly. “Dad’s coming to pick me up today, right? Or is he too busy today?”_

_He noticed the flash of anger and something else in her eyes and he inwardly felt bad. Dad had packed up and left for New York seven months ago right after the divorce was finalized. He didn’t fully understand why they left, but he had a feeling it was his fault. He must have done something to anger them and now his Daddy rarely ever saw him. “Mom?” he asked again, now shy. “Did you and Daddy divorce because…because of me?”_

_The sharp intake of air from his mother made him meet her eyes. She paused in her work, staring at him very seriously. “Walter,” she started, tone now full of sternness, but not anger. “Don’t you think for one minute that your father and I separated because of you. It wasn’t your fault; we just had opinions that we couldn’t agree on and work through, so we decided it would be best to not be married. We’re better off without him.”_

_“Then why do I still get to see him?”_

_“Because at the end of the day, he is still your father, Walter,” she sighed, resuming her work. “No matter how many times he claims to be too busy, he is still a parent. Maybe one day he’ll realize that but I figured he’d still want to be a part of your life.”_

_“Are you going to marry David?”_

_Her cheeks went bright red. “Why would you ask something like that?” she asked incredulously, her eyes now wide as she paused again. “David and I just started going out; and your father and I just divorced. Marriage is a bit early.”_

_“You look happier with him,” he mused quietly, eyeing the dark wooden table as if it were the most fascinating thing ever. “Happier than you did with Daddy.”_

_He noticed a few tears well up in her eyes, but as soon as he saw them, she blinked them away. His mother was not always very emotional, but when she got sad, it was the worst thing in the world to see. “Your father will be here at two thirty. That’s what he said yesterday and he’ll drop you off at noon tomorrow. I called you out of school till Friday, alright?”_

_“Okay.”_

_She pulled out some bandages, moving the tattoo gun away and allowing him to see the mark. The Chinese character of their family stood vividly against his skin, the ink dark against his now red skin. “I’m all done. You took it like a champ, Wirt,” she spoke, now very pleased and by how proud she sounded, he felt proud too. “One day, when you have children of your own, you’ll pass this down to them.”_

_He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t want kids.”_

_She laughed, wrapping the small bandage around his wrist. “You might change your mind one day,” she continued to laugh, but something was off. “Now, do you have everything packed?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Good. Now don’t remove the bandages. I’ll change them tomorrow, but don’t start poking at it. You leave it alone, alright?”_

_“Okay.”_

_A knock on the door surprised him, but then a large grin broke out across his face. “Daddy’s here!” he called out, jumping out of the chair as his mother opened the door. Standing behind her, he looked timidly up at the much taller man who towered over his mother. She pursed her lips, glancing down at him._

_“On time for once, Mort,” he heard her say and he recognized the bite in her voice. “Wirt, go get your suitcase.”_

_He went off without another word, not wanting to be near the two of them. Things were just so awkward between them, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it better than when they were arguing. He quickly grabbed onto his blue suitcase, carrying the light weighted carrier with ease. He felt excitement rush in him. He hadn’t seen his father since June and now he had him for a whole day! And on his birthday, no less. Six was a much more important age than five._

_Of course, his happiness faded when they were in the car. As his father shut the driver’s side door, he glanced at him quickly while starting the car. “I’ll be having a conference call that may take a few hours. I’ll need you to be quiet, Walter. Think you can do that?”_

_Just like that, happiness was replaced with disappointment. He didn’t show it; he didn’t want to upset his father. “Yes, sir,” he nodded and proceeded to look out the window as his father pressed the Bluetooth speaker on his ear, beginning to talk with someone._

_Wirt just stared blankly out the window. Maybe it would have been a better idea to stay at home with his mother and not the father who felt more like a stranger._

~

**(June 11, 2015, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Ow!”

The sound of Greg’s exclamation broke the calm silence of the dining room, the surprised yelp and the sound of the tattoo machine echoing through the large room. Greg squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head away from the work their mother was doing. From behind the dining room chair, Wirt held the boy’s shoulders steady, sympathizing with the boy. He remembered when he got his and how it hurt for the first few minutes.

“It hurts,” Greg remarked, but he wasn’t crying, just stating a fact with a squelched up face. “And that’s a rock fact.”                                                      

“It won’t hurt for very long,” he told the boy, ruffling his hair gently. “You’ll get used to the feeling and it won’t hurt as much.”

“Is that a rock fact?”

“That is most definitely a rock fact.”

He caught the smile on his mother’s lips, her eyes focused on the task at hand. Greg’s dark eyes met his as he tilted his head back, round eyes slightly blurry. “Wirt?” he asked, with that same cheerful tone he always had. “Wirt, can we go to Dipper and Mabel’s house afterwards?”

“Just let me text Dipper,” he responded, phone already pulled out before his mother cleared his throat. “And let’s ask Mom for permission before we take off.”

Greg fixed his mother the best puppy dog face he could manage while the needle pressed into his skin. “Can we go, Mom? Please?”

“It’s fine with me,” she nodded, not meeting his eyes. “Just make sure to text me or Dave if you’re going somewhere with them so we know where you two are.”

“Thanks Mom,” Wirt grinned, quickly finding Dipper’s number on his phone.

**To: Dipper Pines**

**From: Wirt**

**Hey, is it alright if Greg and I come over in an hour or are you and Mabel too busy?”**

**Sent June 11, 1:00 pm**

As he waited for a reply he moved away from Greg, stepping to where Yin Wei lay on her play mat. Her small hands grabbed onto the baby safe toys above her, making random baby noises as she did. He had to smile fondly at that, remembering when Greg was that age. Of course he didn’t remember all of it; he had been eight years old at the time, but he did remember Greg and the toy elephant and frog stuffed animals he had.

He knew his parents hadn’t been planning on having a third child; his mother was completely shocked when she found out. His step-father was both surprised and excited and he knew they were both wanting a girl. What kind of father didn’t secretly want a little girl to spoil? Oh wait, his father. His father hadn’t wanted kids at all.

Shoving that thought aside, he reached back into his pocket for his phone, a message blinking on the screen.

**To: Wirt**

**From: Dipper Pines**

**Yeah sure! Mabel and I aren’t doing anything. We can show you and Greg the forest!”**

**Sent June 11, 1:03 pm**

“So can we go?” Greg spoke up from the dining room, watching with fascination as their mother inked in the design. “Can we? Can we?”

“We can go,” he nodded, smiling from ear to ear. “As soon as you’re done getting your tattoo.”

“Hooray!”

“Hold still Greg,” their mother reprimanded lightly. “Or I’ll mess up and it will look funny.”

Doing as he was told, the boy sat perfectly still and of course, making a big show of it. Wirt could barely conceal his smile, leaning against the wall as the hum of the machine filled the room. Dave was holding interviews today, the café closed for just the single day. The more help, the better. Wirt could barely stand to be in the establishment now, slightly afraid that The Beast might show up again.

He brought his fingers to his lips, tracing over where The Beast had kissed him. It wasn’t his first kiss by any means, but it was his first kiss from a man. Or demon, or whatever he was. He hadn’t told Greg about the incident; he didn’t even know where to begin. He didn’t want the child to be worried and the last time Greg had a nightmare, The Beast had been in it. If there was one thing that terrified Greg, it was The Beast. Not that he blamed the small boy for being afraid of him at all; he had no idea how it felt to slowly begin being a tree.

No, he would make sure Greg wouldn’t be afraid. He was Greg’s older brother; his protector. The Beast wouldn’t harm any of them, he would make sure of it.

“Mom, why do we get this tattoo? Why is it passed down?”

He abruptly was pulled from his thoughts at Greg’s question. Their mother had put the tattoo machine down, looking over the inked drawing on Greg’s right arm. Now that he thought about it, their mother had never really explained why they had it or why their family passed it down. “You know it’s the symbol of our family,” their mother spoke in a soothing voice, picking up the machine again. “When you’re older I’ll explain why we get it, but for now, know that it means that you’re a very special boy, Gregory. And one day, when you have kids of your own, you’ll give it to them.”

“How can I have kids?” Greg tilted his head. “Mom, where do babies come from?”

“Well, that’s really a question you should ask your father-“

“Wirt!” Greg cut her off, his wide eyes turning to him. “Where do babies come from?”

Oh there was no way in hell he was talking to his brother about sex. His cheeks turned bright pink, face now feeling hot. “And I’m out,” he stepped towards the archway that led to the hallway. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Actually, before you do that, could you give your sister her bottle?” his mother glanced at him briefly. “Please?”

“Sure.”

He picked the baby girl up from her play mat, carefully supporting her body the way he had when Greg was a baby. Her head was a bit steadier now and they could make her sit up if they supported her. The soft black hairs on her head tickled his nose as he walked towards the kitchen to heat up a bottle for her.

Turning the tap water on, he held the bottle under the water as he held her on his hip. She babbled incoherent noises, attempting to grab his nose a few times. He had to smile at that, allowing her to grab it once. Greg had liked to grab at his nose too, though he didn’t understand why. Though really what was there to understand? No one could understand infants.

As he fed his younger sister, he found his thoughts drifting again. It was times like these when he was by himself or not doing anything particularly interesting that his thoughts wandered. Everything right now was a blur, though he couldn’t decide if that was bad or not. The business was successful so far, his siblings were well and safe, and his mom and step-dad were getting along so well, it made him slightly resent the man. He liked Dave, he truly did and regretted being so rude to him in the past, but he wasn’t sure if he would ever see him as his father.

He supported his sister’s head, the girl taking the bottle greedily. The thought of fathers and step-fathers aside, he had bigger issues to think about. He felt bile rise in his throat at the thought of The Beast. That kiss didn’t feel like the loving kisses he would exchange with Sara in the past, it felt more forceful and possessive. It chilled him to the very bone to think about it and for a split second, he felt like running and hiding. He thought about finding a place where The Beast would not find him.

Then again, if he did that, The Beast might hurt Greg. Or Yin Wei and his parents. Just the image of The Beast looming over Greg’s bed or Yin Wei’s cradle with the intent to harm them made his teeth gnash together and furry settle in. The panic was there, it wasn’t something that would just disappear, but it sat right next to the anger and protective urges that coursed through his body.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he looked down towards the little baby girl, tilting the bottle a bit more. “I swear I won’t let anything bad happen to you, or to Greg.”

“Who are you talking to?”

He jumped slightly, color rising to his cheeks as he saw Greg standing in the arch way, head tilted slightly. “Ah, no one,” he lied, hoping that Greg didn’t really catch what he just said.

“Liar, you were talking to Yin Wei!” the boy grinned and bounced over to where he was standing, peering over his arms to look at their sister. “Did she say something?

“Greg, she’s only four months old. You know she can’t talk,” he shook his head, but allowed a smile to quirk at his lips. “One day she will and you can chat with her all the time.”

“Ain’t that just the way,” Greg said, attempting at sounding profound. “Can we go now? Or is she still not done?”

“In a minute. After I’m done, we can go.”

“Awesome!”

“I can take over now,” their mother appeared in the kitchen, redoing her ponytail as she waltzed in. “You boys go have fun. And Wirt, please make sure Greg doesn’t do something too risky.”

“Alright,” he nodded, both of them knowing Greg would always be rambunctious and that he followed the beat to his own drum. “I will.”

“And Greg,” their mother lightly took Greg’s hand, observing the bandages one last time. “Make sure to not remove the bandage or poke at your tattoo, aright? And Wirt’s in charge, so you do as he says.”

“He’s the captain!”

“That’s right,” her lips quirked up in amusement. “Wirt’s the captain.”

She took the baby from Wirt, ruffling his hair as he followed Greg out the door. It was about seventy degrees outside; much cooler than it had been yesterday. Greg spread his arms out, pretending to be an airplane as they walked the short distance to the Mystery shack. Wirt just sighed, allowing the warm sun to caress his face and watched in amusement as Greg skipped ahead of him.

“We’re here!” Greg chorused as he opened the door to the shack. “Dipper? Mabel? We’re here!”

From the register, Dipper looked up from the book he was reading with a large grin. “Hey, glad you two made it,” he shoved the book in the messenger bag slung across his body, not giving Wirt enough time to look at it. He stood up, coming over to them with that awkward smile on his face. He wasn’t especially tall, at least compared to Wirt, but he was definitely taller than his twin. “Mabel’s using the bathroom, but she’ll be back soon.”

“I’m here!!”

Dipper was immediately attacked by a girl with flying brown hair and a purple sweater with a waffle with big muscular arms. Greg immediately liked it, and Wirt could tell because he kept eyeing the image. “You like waffles?” he asked excitedly.

“Heck yeah!” Mabel cheered. “They’re the best things ever next to Mabel juice!”

Wirt raised an eyebrow. “Mabel juice?”

“Don’t ask,” Dipper warned, looking disgusted. “It’s the lovechild of coffee and nightmares.”

“Want to try some?” Mabel asked slyly, nudging her brother in the arm. “Grumpy pants over here refuses to drink it.”

“I prefer coffee, thank you.”

Greg pulled on Mabel’s sleeve. “I’ll try some!” he exclaimed and let out a victorious cheer when Mabel motioned for him to follow her.

Dipper shook his head. “Hope he knows what he’s in for.”

“My brother is...adventurous,” Wirt stated plainly, using the nicest word he could think of. “Very open to things around him.”

“He’s a good kid,” Dipper nodded. “Reminds me of Mabel.”

“I could see him growing into someone like her,” he smirked. “He keeps trying to get me to teach him how to play the clarinet.”

Dipper’s eyes flashed in recognition. “You play clarinet?” the grin grew wider as Wirt nodded. “Dude, that’s awesome. I play sousaphone in the Gravity Falls marching band. You going to try out? We need more clarinets.”

He felt his cheeks grow hot. “Oh, I don’t know; I never really thought about it.”

“That’s okay if you don’t,” Dipper shrugged. “Not like I can force you to do it or anything. And school doesn’t start till after Labor Day.”

Once again, the paranoia began to sink it. Would joining the marching band be a bad idea? It would make his step-dad happy and he knew it would make Greg happy, but would he like it? Would people like him? What if they hated him? And the thought of all those people looking at him….

“Hey,” Dipper poked his arm. “Anyone in there? You spaced out on me.”

“Oh, sorry,” he felt his cheeks grow pink. “That happens a lot.”

“I feel you,” Dipper agreed, shoving his hands in his pockets calmly. “I space out when I’m not doing anything. I’ve discovered I have to keep busy; I have to keep my mind focused or I’ll start thinking of…other things.”

“Like your parents?”

Dipper’s eyes widened. “Did Mabel tell you?” he lowered his head down when Wirt nodded. Things were silent for a few seconds before the other boy lifted his head. “Yeah, I think about them. And then of the things that happened two, almost three, years ago.”

“What things?”

Dipper glanced quickly at the door, hearing his sister and Greg returning. “Never mind,” he abruptly stated. “Actually, I found something in the woods a few days ago and I’ve been kind of wanting to explore it.”

“What is it?” Greg asked excitedly. “A magical flying tiger?”

“Uh, no,” Dipper blinked at the boy, a bit confused. “It’s a cave.”

“Darn.”

Wirt could only frown, concern now replacing the paranoia he had been feeling earlier. “Is that such a good idea? I mean, what if it collapses or something?”

“I doubt it will,” Dipper shrugged, pulling the book out of his bag. It was a strange looking book; red with a six fingered hand on it labeled Journal 4. “I mean, our Grunkle Ford explored the cave and it didn’t collapse on him. What are the chances it won’t collapse on us?”

“I don’t know,” Wirt shook his head, glancing at Greg who was now showing Jason off to Mabel. “It doesn’t sound safe and I don’t want Greg to get hurt.”

“Don’t be a worry Wirt, Wirt!” Greg piped up, now looking up at his older brother with wide eyes. “Let’s go have another hero’s journey!”

“I think one was enough for me,” Wirt sighed, not failing to notice the questioning look Mabel and Dipper shot him. “But fine, we’ll go explore. But if I think it’s too unsafe, we’re leaving. Go it, first mate Greg?”

“Aye-aye, Captain Wirt!”

The walk to the cave was spent mostly of Dipper and Wirt listening to Mabel’s endless chatter and Greg’s random quotes about facts that seemed absurd to most people, but the teenagers mostly just found it amusing. Wirt made sure to keep an eye on the boy, but it was proving to be rather difficult since he kept running around and ahead of them.

Wirt was impressed; he truly was. The forest reminded him of The Unknown so much that he felt a pang of sadness pierce him. He half expected Beatrice to appear or the Woodsman, but that was silly and if he were to be honest with himself, it was wishful thinking. Just looking at the tall evergreen trees and the wildlife growing around him, he could almost convince himself that he was back in The Unknown.

He jumped slightly when Greg squeezed his hand. He squeezed back, just for reassurance.

“Here we are!” Dipper stated as they stood at the entrance of the cave, looking mighty pleased with himself. “Okay, so Grunkle Ford said there is some sort of creature that lives down here, so we have to watch out for it.”

“Is it a magical flying tiger?” Greg asked, being completely serious.

“No, there isn’t a magical flying tiger,” Dipper responded incredulously. “There are no magic tigers in Oregon.”

“It doesn’t have to be a magic tiger,” Greg countered.

“Okay…” Dipper trailed off, giving one last bewildered look in Greg’s direction before bringing four flashlights out of his bag. “We’re not going to split up, so it’s best we stay together. Grunkle Ford said he’s never seen the creature, but he says he saw it’s shadow and it appears to have eight legs.”

Wirt gulped, albeit a bit nervously. “That doesn’t sound very safe; maybe we shouldn’t be wandering in.”

“Oh come on,” Mabel grabbed him by the sleeve of his orange sweater, Greg trailing closely after Dipper. “Think of this as an adventure! And I trust that my brother won’t allow anything bad to happen to us. If he thinks it’s getting too dangerous, then we’ll leave. Easy as cake.”

“I think it’s easy as pie,” he corrected, but she just blew a raspberry at him and dragged him along anyway.

The cave was about as interesting as caves get. He was glad he wore a sweater, for the further along they went, the colder it got. He felt Mabel give him a knowing smirk as they looked at their two younger brothers, both of them shivering slightly from the cold. He shook his head, taking off his orange sweater and wrapping it around Greg. Now he shivered, his white collared under shirt not doing much to protect him from the elements.

A few cars and pick axes from long ago miners littered the ground, and by looking at them, Wirt could easily deduce that this place hadn’t been used in a long time. Possibly a good hundred years, but he couldn’t be too sure. Sticky spider silk clung to every nook and cranny it could find; even sticking in their hair. Mabel had to stop at least a few seconds to remove the threads from her hair, tossing it to the ground in disgust.

“Hey Wirt?”

Wirt glanced over to Dipper, whose nose was buried in the journal, flashlight peering over the edge of the book. “Yeah?” he responded to Dipper’s question, arms crossed over his chest to keep himself warm.

“You said you and your family moved here to start up a business, but it felt like you were kind of leaving something out,” Dipper met his eyes briefly before returning back to his book. “If there was another reason, you can tell us. We’re not going to judge you or anything.”

Good lord, he sounded a lot like Sara right now. While Dipper was a bit different, that calm and nonjudgmental attitude made him like the boy a bit more. “I…I don’t know…”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it right now,” Dipper cut off abruptly. “Just wanted to let you know that you can tell me and Mabel anything. Hey, by the way, what are you wearing for Summerween?”

“Summer what?” Wirt asked, completely taken aback. “What’s Summerween?”

Dipper smacked himself lightly on the forehead. “That’s right, I keep forgetting you guys aren’t from here. The people of Gravity Falls love Halloween so much that they celebrate it twice a year. On June 22, the kids dress up and go trick or treating till the last jack o’ melon goes out.”

“Oh,” Wirt had to frown slightly at that, the memories of last Halloween coming back. “I don’t know, I’ll probably just pass out candy or take Greg out to get candy.”

“Did someone say Candy?”

Wirt just shot Dipper a look. “See what you’ve started?” he didn’t stop the fond smile from growing on his face as Greg bounced over to them.

“Hey Wirt!” Greg was all excited know, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Wirt! I found treasure!”

“Oh? Really? What did you find?”

“A skull!”

“What? Greg, put that down!” Wirt shot forward, smacking the skull out of Greg’s hands. The younger boy looked shocked for a few seconds before a pout formed on his lips.

“Wirt that was our treasure!”

“Greg that was a human skull!”

Dipper stepped forward, picking up the skull, which had been damaged a good deal when Wirt knocked it to the ground. He observed it carefully, nodding in agreement. “Wirt’s right, Greg,” he moved the skull away, giving it an uneasy look. “We should leave now; this is too dangerous. The creature that lives here probably got him. I’ll have to mark that in the journal.”

“Dipper, you can do that later,” Mabel hooked onto her twin’s arm. “We need to skedaddle!”

“Alright, Greg,” Wirt tugged on his younger brother’s hand, practically dragging him back in the direction they came. “We’re leaving now.”

“Oka- AHHH!”

Out of the dark corners of the cave, sticky thread shot out and latched itself onto the boy. He was immediately pulled into the darkness, the sound of his surprised cries echoing in Wirt’s ears. Two more threads shot out and attached themselves onto Dipper and Mabel, the two of them trying to grab onto each other as they were pulled into separate corners of the darkened cave.

_“Heheheheheheehe…a nice yummy snack for me! Hehehehehe!”_

Wirt immediately turned around, eyes scanning the cave for any signs of movement. He brought his flashlight up, catching the faint glimpse of movement and the sound of legs clacking against the rocks echoed in his ears. He could feel breath on the back of his neck; the hairs standing up and the fear swim in his stomach. “Who’s there?” he called out, surprised by how calm he sounded. Now was no time to be scared. This thing had Greg! This thing had taken his brother and new friends; he couldn’t’ afford to let the fear over power him.

_“Well, well, well, isn’t this surprising. Another tasty snack for me. I haven’t had four little children come into my cave willingly for a long time.”_

“Wirt!” he heard Greg’s voice and he scanned the flashlight upwards, noticing his brother attached onto the ceiling cocooned in silky thread. “Help!”

“Help!” he could hear Dipper and Mabel call, the two of them struggling to get out of their shared cocoon on the wall to the far left. “Help us, Wirt!”

The creature surged forward, letting Wirt take a good look at what he was up against. A huge spider, with the head and torso of a woman, loomed over him. All eight of her eyes sneered down at him, the black and soulless orbs making even more fear shoot down his spine. The flashlight shook in his hands, much to the spider woman’s amusement.

 _“You can’t stop me, little hero,”_ she cackled cruelly. _“I will devour your friends, your little brother, and I will make you watch. And then, I will devour you, handsome boy.”_

“Let...let them go!” he glared furiously at her, trying to maintain his bravado. “Or…I’ll kill you!”

 _“Really? I highly doubt that!”_ she cackled and moved one of her arms, the hand wrapping around his throat. _“You can’t stop me; you have nothing to defeat me with!”_

He glanced at his surroundings, the grip on his neck tightening. His hands clawed at hers in a vain attempt at getting her to release him. She merely laughed, but then it changed. The sleeve on his right arm had torn due to how sharp her claws were, exposing the tattoo right underneath his wrist. She immediately dropped him, all eyes widening in fear.

 _“No,”_ she backed away, staring at him with mild distaste and fear. _“A boy like you? It can’t be! This cannot be!”_

He immediately rolled away from her, drawing up to his feet and grabbing the nearest blunt object he could find. It was a pick axe, not especially big, but it would have to do. “Let my brother and my friends go!” he demanded, holding the picket axe steadily in his hands. “Let them go, now!”

 _“I’ll kill you first!”_ she snarled, barring her fangs ferociously. _“I will kill you and your little brother! Then it will be the last of your cursed clan!”_

Cursed clan? He shook that thought aside, side stepping her as she moved forward at a speed that was so fast, he almost didn’t see it. She crashed into the wall, the cave shaking from the impact. The force of the impact shook loose the thread that held Greg to the ceiling, the boy and his frog falling to the ground with an oomph. He appeared unharmed, but he had his eyes squeezed shut the whole time.

Wirt panted, avoiding the spider woman’s attacks again. She was relentless, trying to grab him and step on him with her huge legs. He swung at her, somehow knowing exactly where to strike. He sliced one leg off at what he assumed was her knee, (did spider’s even have knees?), and winced at her howl of pain. He wasted no time at slicing off the other closest leg, watching as she stumbled forward a bit. Black blood oozed from her wounds and her scream was bloodcurdling, cursing his name and the name on his tattoo. She managed to strike him, sending him spiraling to the ground, the coppery taste of blood stinging his tongue as he managed to get on his knees.

 _“You think you can defeat me so easily?”_ she screeched at him, stumbling around and looming over Greg threateningly. _“I am the Spider Witch! The mother of spiders! The demon of this cave! I’ve lured pathetic boys and girls like you in here for eons! I devoured the miners and feasted on their souls for years! I am unstoppable!”_

“Pfft,” he scoffed and without wavering, jumped up from his knees and slammed the pick axe in the space between her eyes. She screamed again, black liquid pour from her skull and eyes as she lowered to the ground, flailing about. He immediately set to work freeing Greg, managing to pull them away from the Spider witch. “No one hurts my brother. No one!”

She continued to scream atrocities at him and he promptly set his hands over his brother’s ears. Greg still had his eyes tightly shut and didn’t’ even fight him as his older brother’s hands settled themselves over his ears.

 _“You asinine child!”_ she screamed and continued to flail around. _“This can’t be! This cannot be! I am undefeatable!”_

She continued to flail around for a few more seconds before the light vanished from her black eyes. With a horrifying crunch, her body deteriorated into dust, leaving only the pick axe lying where her skull had been. He removed his hands and Greg opened his eyes, immediately throwing his arms around him. “That was amazing, Wirt! You’re like, a super hero!”

“Let’s not go that far,” he felt his cheeks redden as the boy stared up at him with admiring eyes. “Come on, let’s go free Dipper and Mabel.”

The twins were relatively easy to free, considering it was a group effort to release them from their prison. He wouldn’t let Greg hold the pick axe, despite the fact the boy kept begging for him to hold it. When both of the twins were free, they immediately checked over each other for injuries, concern in both of their brown eyes.

“Wirt!” Mabel threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “That was…that was amazing! You saved us! We would have been a spider’s dinner if it wasn’t for you!”

“That was like, incredible!” Dipper chorused. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“I…I don’t know. It just kind of…happened,” he felt the blood rush in his ears, the quick rush of adrenaline now fading. “I just felt like it was the right thing to do.”

“Well it was awesome!” Mabel hugged him again. “You should teach us to fight like that!”

“I want to learn too!” Greg added, now sharing Mabel’s enthusiasm. “Teach me, Wirt!”

“Greg, calm down,” Wirt sighed, placing a hand on the smaller boy’s head. The boy was still excited, nothing was going to change that, but he turned to the other two teens. “I honestly don’t know where that came from.”

“It was still pretty cool,” Dipper grinned, but it fell a little short. “But what was she talking about? Your clan or something?”

He glanced down at his tattoo, the twins looking at it in awe. “I don’t know.” Was all he could say.

“You have a tattoo?” Mabel took his hand, studying it with expressive eyes. “Wow, that’s so cool! Where did you get it?”

“Our mom gave it to us,” Wirt replied, Greg waving his right arm to show them. “I got mine when I was six.”

“And I just got mine today!”

The twins shared a look and once again, Wirt couldn’t decipher what it meant. He felt like defending their mother and the choice to give them their tattoos, but he didn’t say anything. Mabel merely shrugged. “That’s pretty cool,” she continued. “I mean, if it’s a family thing, who am I to judge?”

“Thanks,” he nodded, feeling a bit relieved. “That’s the only one we have though. It’s the symbol of our family.”

Dipper studied it carefully. “But why did she give it to you?”

Wirt just shrugged. “I don’t know; she never said. Mom doesn’t really talk about her childhood and when she does, she always sounds vague.”

“That’s odd,” Dipper narrowed his eyes, though it wasn’t at Mabel. He stepped forward, staring at something on the ground intently. “Mabel,” he began, face paling to the point Wirt feared the boy would pass out. “Look at this.”

They moved to whatever Dipper was staring at, though Wirt couldn’t tell what the big deal was. It was just the engraving of a triangle on the floor. A weird looking triangle with a bow tie and top hat with a wheel around it. Whatever it was, the twins seemed to be wary of it and he figured if the twins were worried, he should be too. “What is it?” he asked Dipper, nudging him.

“Bill Cipher,” Dipper growled. “Grunkle Ford said he saw the engravings on the wall, but not on the floor,” he knelt down to the ground, eyes narrowing. “This looks new and it’s chalk. Who could have done this?”

“Maybe the spider witch?” Wirt offered, Mabel nodding in agreement while Greg just stayed quiet for once. “But who exactly is Bill Cipher?”

The room exploded into bright light before Dipper or Mabel had a chance to answer. They shielded their eyes, Greg burying his face into Wirt’s shirt as Wirt used one arm to shield him. Obnoxious laughter filled the room. So obnoxious and high pitched, that Wirt felt oddly tempted to smack whatever was laughing just so it would shut up.

Then the light dispersed and a triangle floated above them, looking very pleased with himself. “Well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well,” it floated around them, multiple copies of triangles appearing. “If it isn’t Pine tree and Shooting star. Did you miss me? Admit it, you missed me! Wow Shooting Star, two years did well for you! And did you grow taller Pine tree? You look taller!”

“Bill!” Dipper snapped, shoving Mabel behind him in order to protect her. “We banished you! Why are you here?”

Bill ignored that question, his one eyed gaze now landing on Wirt and Greg. “And finally, I get to meet Lover boy and Candy pants! How are you? It’s so great to finally meet you! My buddy Beast has told me so much about you.”

Greg stared up at the triangle with confusion. “The Beast? But he’s in The Unknown; Wirt defeated him, right Wirt?” he looked up at his older brother. “Right Wirt?”

Bill just laughed, the obnoxious sound now making Wirt grind his teeth in annoyance. “Wow Candy pants, you really think your dumb sibling could defeat a high ranking demon like old Beasty? Sure he may have weakened him, but he didn’t defeat him!”

“I saw him yesterday,” Wirt admitted, though he wasn’t quite sure on who he was talking to. “He said that something big is coming.”

“Yup, that sounds like Beasty alright. He doesn’t like to beat around the bush or whatever it is you kids are calling it these days,” Bill laughed again. “Nice job defeating the Spider witch! She was useful in reviving me, but I would’ve had to kill her anyway. You did it for me, so how can I repay you? How about a head that’s always screaming?”

Greg raised his hand. “Can I have a magic tiger?”

“No,” Bill shot the idea down, Greg immediately becoming sad. Wirt just glared at the triangle, though Bill didn’t seem affected by it. “I’m just kidding with you! I can’t be handing out favors; be bad for business. Anyways, I should pay old Fordsy a visit. Make him into a back scratcher, ahahahaha!”

“You leave Grunkle Ford alone!” Dipper snarled, glaring at the triangle with such fury that Wirt felt nervous. “Leave our family alone, you isosceles monster!”

“Yeah!” Mabel chorused.

“Oh Pine tree, you never cease to amuse me,” Bill sneered. “The Pines family is bad enough, but now I have to deal with _that_ family? Boy, this is sure to be fun. Well, I’ve got to get going! I believe Beasty is waiting for me!”

“You aren’t going anywhere!” Dipper snapped.

“Like you can stop me,” Bill snickered. “I’ll be back later, Pine tree. Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold! Bye!”

In a flash of gold light, the triangle was gone, leaving three very frustrated teenagers and one confused little boy in the cave. Dipper removed his hat, running a hand through his wild and curly brown hair. “I thought we defeated him,” Dipper grumbled, pacing around nervously while Mabel stared stonily at the wall. “I thought we’d seen the last of him, Mabel! Didn’t Grunkle Ford say he was never coming back?”

“Grunkle Ford doesn’t know everything,” the girl’s eyes were distant, so different from her usual cheerful self. “Bill isn’t easily destroyed; and all we did was banish him. We just didn’t count on someone reviving him so soon.”

“We have to stop him!” Dipper took Mabel by the hand. “I won’t let it happen again; I can’t go through that again, Mabel!”

“We’ll stop him,” she squeezed his hand. “And we’ll do it together. Mystery twins?”

“Mystery twins.”

They bumped fists right before Wirt cleared his throat, a look of displeasure on his face. “Could you two elaborate on what the heck is going on?” he asked, glaring in annoyance. “What was that? Who is Bill Cipher?”

“We’ll explain everything,” Dipper sighed before meeting his eyes. “And then you need to tell us who this Beast is.”

“Fine.”

“Then let’s go back to the shack.”

~

With a thud, the large and heavy chest landing soundly on the table and Xiāng líng let out a sigh, wiping the dust on her jeans.

“Did you find it?” she glanced over her shoulder at Dave, who was now peering over her shoulder at the oriental themed trunk that lay on a table in the basement. He’d just put Yin Wei down for her nap, and that had been a few minutes ago. Had it really taken her this long to find her family’s trunk? It had been shoved in a corner will all the other boxes and trunks in the basement that she hadn’t been able to find it till now.

“Yeah,” she sighed, moving a stray strand of hair from her face. “I found it. Took me a while, but I did it.”

“That’s my trooper,” he grinned, causing her to role her eyes and smile. “So, what’s exactly in it?”

“Things that have been in my family for countless of generations,” she pulled a key from her pocket, unlatching the trunk and opening it. She allowed Dave to look inside as she pulled out several items. He backed away when she pulled out three pairs of daggers, a few throwing stars, and other items that he couldn’t quite place. She gazed at each item thoughtfully, laying them on the table. “I don’t know when to show Wirt these. Or Greg. I had a dream last night.”

“Really?”

She nodded solemnly. “Something is after my baby; both my babies. I can’t- I won’t, let anything happen to them.”

She felt him take her hand and looked deeply into his hazel green eyes. “We’ll do it together,” he kissed her hand softly. “I won’t let whatever’s out there hurt you or our children.”

She squeezed his hand back before releasing it to bring the last item out of the box. It was a thick, heavily bounded pair of several bones. It appeared to be the shoulder blades of an ox and perhaps the shells of tortoises, but she knew Dave had no idea what they were. Or the power they could wield if put in the wrong hands.

“These are the oracle bones,” she explained carefully. “They hold the secrets of my family and the things we’ve witnessed over the years. They hold many secrets, David. And it’s been my family’s job to keep them.”

He frowned. “That doesn’t really answer the whole “Awakening” process.”

“I promise I will when I explain it to Wirt. It won’t be too long now.”

A noise from upstairs alerted the two adults, the sounds of Yin Wei crying echoing in her ears. Dave just nodded towards the objects before glancing at her. “I’ll go see what’s wrong. I wonder why she’d be crying; I just changed her and put her down for a nap.”

He disappeared up the small steps and to where the baby girl was resting upstairs. She sighed, looking over the carefully preserved bones and ran a hand over their texture. She wasn’t sure how far they dated back; only that it could be traced back thousands of years ago. The family scrolls that detailed their lineage had perished years ago and she bitterly regretted not finding out what happened to them sooner.

The buzzing of her cellphone surprised her and she quickly picked up, not checking to see who the caller was. When the voice spoke, she jumped in surprise. “Mort? Why are you calling?”

The house was completely silent for a few minutes.

Dave was rocking their daughter back to sleep when he heard his wife’s shrill shriek of, “YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might be doing a small little Christmas one shot where the family sits down for Christmas together. Maybe Mort will be there! Who knows?


	4. Tag, you're it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beast appears again and Wirt receives some rather unpleasant news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I've been busy with family and such. Hope everyone had a great holiday and I hope to see everyone have a great new year! Holy crap, the last episode of Gravity Falls is coming out next month! I can't believe it! I don't want it to end, but alas, it must. Anyway, Ford's in this chapter and to be honest, I've never written Ford. Hope he turned out alright! As a last note, my sister drew the boys' mother! It'll be posted on my tumblr account when she's finished coloring.

_Running through the parking lot,_

_He chased me and he wouldn't stop,_

_Tag, you're it,_

_Tag, tag, you're it_

_~Tag you're it by Melanie Martinez~_

**(June 11, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“So what kind of shenanigans did you two get up to today?”

With the smells of ginger and garlic gently wafting through the house; the pitter patter of rain tapping sharply against the window panes, Dave asked the question in an unsurprisingly upbeat manner. After swallowing his bite of Moo Shu pork, he turned to Wirt and Greg with an interested expression. Greg just stared up at his dad with a huge grin, pausing from his task of shoving mushrooms out of his food.

“We explored a cave!” he enthused dramatically, jumping up to stand on his seat. “And Wirt fought a giant cave monster who was going to eat us!”

“Giant cave monster?” Dave pretended to look astonished, a fond smile on his face. “What did the monster look like?”

“She was a spider!” Greg continued on after shoving more food in his mouth. “And Wirt saved the day by poking her with a pick axe!”

“Greg, don’t eat with your mouth full,” their mother reprimanded calmly, but Wirt could see the barest hint of a smile. “And please sit down while you’re at the dinner table.”

“Aye-aye, lady mom!”

The three of them began to chat randomly amongst each other and all of a sudden, Wirt felt it again. He shoveled his fork against his plate, picking through the eggs, mushrooms, rice and pork. His appetite was gone; he hadn’t really been hungry to begin with, but just watching them made his stomach twist. He couldn’t be sure if it was the teenage hormones, but watching his mother, step-father and brother made him feel left oddly excluded. This was the man his mother had remarried and the child they had together. He was the odd one out; almost like a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit right.

Of course he liked Dave and had begun to like him better in these past few months. He wasn’t sure why Greg adored him, but his little brother meant the world to him. And he loved his mother naturally, so why was he feeling this? It didn’t make any sense.

It had to be the events that were happening. Moving, the talk of demons, The Beast, and even growing up to a certain extent. It everything could stop for just two seconds and he could have some peace that would be nice. Unrealistic, but it was a nice dream to have.

“Wirt?”

He immediately jumped back to reality, cheeks turning slightly pink as he felt all eyes at the table stare at him. “Y…yeah?” he stammered in embarrassment, relieved when the other two males at the table resumed eating.

His mother, if anything, looked troubled. Troubled, and if he looked closely, a little irritated. “Your father called.”

With just that one sentence, everything at the table stopped. Greg of course, not really knowing why the subject of Wirt’s father was a taboo, looked confused. Dave just looked awkward and Wirt knew the man was questioning on whether or not he should be there, but he continued to sit at the table, focusing very intently at one of the pictures on the wall. Wirt felt his mouth go dry, hand itching for the glass of water on the table. “He…he did?”

“Yes.”

“Well it’s about time,” he snorted, ignoring the look Greg shot him. “I mean, it’s only been eight months since I was in the hospital, but that doesn’t matter, now does it?”

Picking up his plate and glass, Dave stood up and looked quickly at Greg. “Hey buddy, let’s go finish dinner in the kitchen,” he said quickly, looking towards his wife. “Mommy and Wirt…need alone time.”

“But the kitchen’s for breakfast!” Greg protested, but otherwise followed his father out of the dining room. “What are they talking about? What about Wirt’s dad?”

“It’s not really my place to say, Greg.”

Their voices faded away into the kitchen, leaving Wirt sitting right across the table from his mother with his arms crossed and glaring intently at his plate. His mother sighed, setting down her fork to massage her temples slowly. “He called while you and Greg were out,” she said in a tired voice and took his look of disbelief with a small shrug. “It came as a shock to me too; I haven’t heard from him in over a year.”

“Haven’t heard from him in a year either,” he grumbled, mood sinking even lower. “But as you always say, I shouldn’t count on him.”

“I didn’t say it like that,” she quickly defended herself, narrowing her eyes at him as she spoke in a firm tone. “You know as well as I do that he’s busy. Not a good excuse at all, but I suppose at this point we both know it’s not surprising.”

He hummed in agreement, stabbing a mushroom with his fork. “No, it’s not surprising,” he sighed, wishing he could just up and leave from the table. “So what did he want? I don’t think we have anything he wants or needs. And he’s not the type of man who calls for just a regular chat.”

“He wants to see you.”

He froze, fork immediately stopping in its stabbing motions. He looked at her with wide eyes. “He wants to see me? He’s not just seeing me because of the custody paper but because he actually _wants_ to see me?”

“I’m as shocked as you are,” she shook her head in disapproval as he scoffed. “But yes, that’s what he says.”

“So when does he want to see me?”

“Sometime in July or August,” she looked at him carefully, as if somehow pleading him to not overreact or something. “He said he has to do a conference in Portland and that he wants to stay in Gravity Falls for a few days. I don’t know what’s gotten into him; it’s so strange, but I told him that I would talk to you first.”

“I guess your only son almost dying really makes you rethink life,” he stated darkly, dropping his fork in albeit dramatic fashion.

“Wirt!”

He flinched at her tone, biting his lip to keep back more frustrated words. “I’m not hungry anymore, can I be excused?”

She nodded, not saying a single word till he passed her on the way to the stair case. She tugged on his arm, pulling him back a little till he could see her entire face. “We’ll talk about this more later. Alright?”

“Fine,” he grumbled and stalked away as she released his arm. His face was red with frustration and anger, heart beating rapidly. He could feel the hurt of his father’s rejection building up; something he had tried to burry and ignore for years. Why was this happening now? Couldn’t his father just do what he normally did and try to forget he had a son? For years he’d tried to forget that he had a biological father, but it was no use.

He stormed up the stairs in silent furry, pausing right in the middle of the upstairs hallway. Instead of going into his room, he stepped inside his sister’s. The room was dimly lit, the little nightlights plugged into the wall made the room feel cozier. Yin Wei was asleep in her crib, and as he looked down at her, he almost envied the small baby. She had no worries in the world. She would never have to worry about divorced parents or a father that didn’t care about her. She would have both her parents in her life and a fully related brother.

He shoved that thought back, giving himself a stern lecture. He loved his family; he shouldn’t be giving his younger sister grief. It wasn’t her fault; it wasn’t anyone’s really. These were the cards he was dealt with from life and there was no changing it. No matter how uncomfortable this situation made him, it wasn’t changing. How long had it been since he’d seen his dad? The last time he could recall was when he stayed with the man while his mother and Dave were on the week long honeymoon. That was the last time he’d physically seen him. He’d call every now and then, but the chats were brief. Like it felt more like a chore than something the man actually wanted to do.

He looked down to the stuffed frog in the baby’s bed and smiled softly for a moment before it changed into a frown. If his father did visit, what if he said something mean to Dave or his mother? To Greg, even? He wasn’t even sure if the man knew about Yin Wei, though he wouldn’t be entirely surprised if he did. He knew for certain that if his father said or did anything too horrible to Greg or Yin Wei, he would never speak to him again. And he meant it.

“Wirt?”

He jumped at the sound of Greg’s voice and looked quickly at the short boy. The seven year old looked almost worried and it didn’t look quite right on his childlike face. “Yes Greg?” he responded, trying to keep his voice from scratching.

“Is your dad a bad guy?”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair nervously. “No, he’s not bad per say, but he’s definitely not like your dad.”

Greg tilted his head curiously. “How?”

“It’s…complicated,” was how he summarized, not exactly sure on how to explain his personality to a seven year old. “He just wasn’t ready for kids. Not a good excuse, but that’s the way he is.”

Greg just glanced over at the cradle, follow Wirt’s eyes as he looked down at their sister. “Maybe,” Greg was thinking hard, he could see the way he was biting his upper lip in thought. “He wants to be a better dad. Mom said it’s always good to give people second chances.”

“Maybe, Greg,” he shook his head, hoping his brother wouldn’t want to talk more about the subject of his father.

Greg jumped at the large clap of thunder that shook their house. Wirt had to give a small laugh as the boy grinned. “The sky’s making music!” the boy chorused. “Let’s sing along! I’ll go get the pans!”

The child scampered off, his voice echoing in the distance as he called for their mother. Once the boy was gone, he felt that ugly feeling of weariness again. Maybe Greg was right; maybe his father was trying to reach out. Question was, did he want to give his father a second chance? Did the man truly deserve it?

Something on the baby girl’s book case caught his attention, pulling him away from his troubling thoughts. In the dim lighting, he could make out the shape of a small box made from smooth, polished brown wood. He studied it close to the light, a bit confused. When did she get this? It hadn’t been there when he retrieved her from her crib a few hours ago. Tracing his fingertips against it, he could make out carvings though with the dim lighting, he couldn’t be sure.

He took it with him as he returned to his room, turning the lights on to get a better look. He didn’t know what disturbed him more. The fact it was made from Edelwood or the fact there were carvings of a teenage boy with a cone hat, a child with a teapot on his head, and a blue bird. There were carvings of the woodsman and other figures from their journey, but Wirt could only swallow down the sick feeling that crept in his throat. There was only one person, or thing, that could have done this.

The Beast had been in his house. In his sister’s room. He paled at the thought of the creature being near the baby. He fought down the bile, barely holding it down as he sat on his bed. At the bottom of the box, there was a winding tool and he wound it, lifting the lid of the box while a familiar tune. Even with the wind and rain tapping against the window, he swore he could hear that familiar voice in the distance.

_“Come wayward souls, who wander through the darkness, there is a light for the lost and the meek, Sorrow and fear are easily forgotten, when you submit to the souls of the earth…”_

He slammed the lid down shut, hands shaking as he threw the box across the room. Much to his dismay, and not entirely to his surprise, the box didn’t even dent. It remained perfectly intact as it sneered at him from across the room.

He put himself into his pajamas, going to bed earlier than usual. He heard his mother knock at the door and she opened it a crack, but closed it softly when she saw him asleep. Or at least, pretending to be asleep. He couldn’t fall asleep at first, the sounds of that music box still ringing in his ears. He covered his ears, wishing for the noise to go away, but it had done its work. Now it was like a lullaby, gently pulling him to sleep.

~

**(June 12, 2015, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Wirt! Hey Wirt! Look what I found!”

Glancing nervously at the librarian, Wirt looked away from the book he was looking at to notice Greg tugging on his shirt sleeve enthusiastically. Flushing at the librarian, who raised a finger to her old lips, he put a finger over his own. “Shush!” he scolded lightly.

“You shush!”

“No you shush!”

“You!”

“Greg!” he hissed slightly, the librarian now shushing them both. “We’re in a library, you need to use your indoor voice.”

“Fine,” Greg raised his eyes to the ceiling, as if the task was so troublesome. “But look what I found! A book!”

He was half tempted to roll his eyes, but thought better of it. “That’s impressive Greg,” he started, a tiny smirk on his face. “You found a book. In a library. Good work.”

“It’s not just any book!” Greg continued, whether or not he understood Wirt’s sarcastic tone or if he was just choosing to ignore it was a mystery to Wirt. The boy flipped the book open, showing Wirt a number of strange creatures and even stranger objects. “See, it’s a book on the supernatural! Dipper said his Grunkle Ford wrote it two years ago after Weirdmaggedon.”

The very mention of the Pines family made him frown. Not that he didn’t like them; that wasn’t the reason at all, but he began to wonder if there were more supernatural anomalies that followed other families. From their conversation after the incident in the cave, he felt slightly bad. Maybe if he and Greg hadn’t come across the twins, then Bill wouldn’t have returned. He still was unsure about who Bill was, but if he was working with The Beast, then he must be bad news.

He shook his head. No, that witch had revived the triangle demon. More than likely, it would have happened regardless of whether he met the twins or not. Besides, from what it sounded like, the demon had a vendetta against their family anyway. From what it sounded like, Weirdmaggedon had been a nightmare.

_“I never want to go through it again,” Dipper hugged himself, staring hard at the ground as he spoke. “If I could pick the worst moment of my life that would have to be it. With our parents’ death right next to it.”_

_“Our town went into chaos,” Mabel continued on softly. “It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t given Bill the rift. Though to be fair, he took advantage of my emotional state. He trapped me in a bubble and if Dipper hadn’t convinced me to break free, I would have stayed in there forever.”_

_“Bill is a demon of unspeakable horror,” Dipper sighed. “And it all started back when our Grunkle Ford befriended him. Though at the time, he thought Bill was his friend, he eventually realized that Bill was using him to bring the nightmare realm to our realm to combine them. If Bill had succeeded, we would be dead, slaves to other demons, food, or be part of Bill’s massive throne of human agony.”_

_Wirt raised an eyebrow. “Massive throne of human agony?” he shuddered, pulling Greg a little closer to him for comfort. “Sounds awful.”_

_“And he turned Grunkle Ford into a golden back scratcher,” Mabel grumbled, narrowing her eyes. “None of us would be here today if Dipper hadn’t reassured me that no matter what, we’ll always be there for each other.”_

_Dipper let out a small smile. “There was no way I was going to miss your awkward teenage years.”_

_“Speak for yourself!” Mabel nudged him. “At least my voice doesn’t crack!”_

_Wirt cleared his throat and the two of them stopped their bantering. “So,” he began awkwardly. “Do you two know exactly what Bill wants? Or why he’s back?”_

_Dipper crossed his arms, staring at him with almost calculating eyes. “Actually, we were wondering if you knew. Who is The Beast?”_

_He felt his face grow red and for once, Greg was silent. “Eight months ago, my brother and I fell over a garden wall and knocked ourselves unconscious into the lake nearby. We wound up in this place called The Unknown,” as he told the twins of their adventures, he felt almost surprised with himself. Besides Greg, he had never been able to speak of their terrifying and beautiful adventure with anyone._

_“The Beast, well, I’m not exactly sure of what he is,” he confessed quietly, staring intently at the back of Greg’s head. “But everyone in The Unknown is afraid of him. He turns lost souls into Edelwood trees to oil his lantern and he almost turned Greg into one. If I hadn’t found him…” he trailed off momentarily before clearing his throat. “This man called the Woodsman carried his lantern, thinking his daughter’s soul was inside. Once I realized and told him it was actually The Beast’s soul, he blew it out. I thought that was the end of it and we went home.”_

_“But The Beast is back? Here in our world?” Dipper asked, leaning up against his bed and cradling his cup of tea carefully. “At least, that’s what it sounds like. Who knows, maybe Bill is lying?”_

_“I don’t think so,” Mabel shook her head. “What would Bill gain from lying to us? We can’t trust him, but I think he wanted us to know that. Wirt, do you know something?”_

_Glancing down at his hands shamefully, he nodded. “I was helping out in the café when I saw him. I didn’t think it was him at first, considering he appeared dark and shadowy in The Unknown. He was disguised as an ordinary human. He…spoke with me.”_

_Mabel tilted her head. “That’s all?”_

_He nodded. “Yup.”_

_She shook her head. “Somehow I get the feeling you’re leaving out something, but I won’t’ push it. For now,” she looked down right mischievous and Wirt shivered slightly. “Did he say why he was here?”_

_“He’s after me,” it broke past his lips before he could stop it. Greg immediately turned around in his lap to stare at him with wide eyes. He felt the tears slip down his face before he could stop them. “He…said I belong to him. That he’s going to make me his. I…want to pretend I don’t know what that means, but I do.”_

_He thought Greg would be upset with him for withholding information about The Beast and The Unknown from him, but instead of being angry, Greg just hugged him. He hugged Greg back tightly, feeling the small boy pat the back of his head. “It’s okay, Wirt,” Greg continued to pat his head. “I won’t let that nasty old Beast get you. I’ll rescue you like how a knight rescues his princess.”_

_Dipper and Mabel shared looks but otherwise didn’t say anything. Just hearing Greg’s reassurance made him feel better, but that nagging anxiety was still there. How would Greg defy The Beast? Especially if he could take on any form he wanted? Greg, though very brave, was still a child. And children could be easily hurt._

_“Thanks Greg,” he pulled away, ruffling the boy’s head. “But I won’t let The Beast hurt us. Alright?”_

_“Okay.”_

They had left the house after that, their mother texting him something about dinner being almost ready and all. He and Greg hadn’t spoken about the conversation yesterday and quite frankly, he wanted to keep it that way.

“Hey Wirt, can we get ice cream?”

“Sure, Greg.”

They checked out their books, signing up for their library cards which Greg carried with pride. An ice cream truck was around somewhere, stationed near the swimming pool which was vacant today due to the overcast and light drizzle. It was still warm out, but definitely not hot enough for ice cream. Then again, Greg thought that anytime was ice cream time and who was Wirt to judge?

Few people were out walking around, but none of them clearly wanted ice cream. They rushed by with different agendas, barely sparing the two brothers a glance. Greg peered up the list of ice cream, lower lip sticking out as he thought hard.

“So what do you want?” Wirt asked as he pulled a five from his wallet once they reached the vendor. “Greg? Greg, I asked you a question.”

“Cool! A dog!”

He turned around, doing a double take when he realized someone was standing right behind them. A short girl, with a vacant expression on her face, stood very close behind him. Moving a strand of pale blonde hair away from her face, she looked down at Greg who was looking excitedly at the Great Dane she had on a leash. “This is Shelby,” she said, thought Wirt wasn’t entirely sure who she was talking to. “She’s my dog.”

“Cool,” Greg nodded cheerfully. “Can I pet her?”

“Sure.”

He let his arm out, kneeling down to the dog’s eye level. The dog sniffed him first and when she was done, Greg reached out to pat her head. The dog licked at him and Greg laughed, petting the dog again. Wirt had to smile at that before turning to the girl. “Uh, thanks for letting my brother pet your dog,” he could feel his face reddening as her vacant blue eyes met his. “My name’s Wirt.”

She gave a simple nod. “Annie.”

“Are you going to order or what?”

He jumped, face turning an even brighter shade of red as the girl from the ice cream truck stuck her head out. Her eyes narrowed, a smirk on her tan face as she held her hands on her hips. “Come on, scarecrow, I haven’t got all day.”

“Oh, uh, I’ll have butter pecan. And Greg, what do you want?” he asked nervously, looking down at his brother.

“Chocolate!” Greg grinned, and the girl at the stand grinned back. “You can never go wrong with chocolate!”

“Can’t argue with that,” the girl shook her head, a pink bubble coming out of her mouth as chewed on her bubble gum. “Do you boys want a cup or a cone?”

“Cone,” they both declared unanimously.

“That’ll be three dollars.”

He handed her the five, and she took it, giving his change back quickly. She scooped the chocolate out first, handing it to Greg. “Here you go,” she smiled. “I gave you an extra scoop for being so cute.”

Greg beamed, stepping back to where Annie was still standing. The girl handed Wirt his, giving him a wink while he blushed pink. As he walked over to Greg, he could have sworn he heard Annie grumble something in annoyance, though he couldn’t be sure. Greg led him over to the picnic tables, sitting down while munching away at his ice cream.

“This is good!” Greg eventually said. “But it needs molasses!”

“Greg, you think everything needs molasses.”

He didn’t stop the smile from showing, though. He ate his ice cream carefully, getting past the first scoop before someone else sat on their table. He glanced curiously at Annie, who had her own ice cream in a cup. Greg shook his head. “Ice cream should be eaten in cones!” he declared.

For a second, he was worried the girl might snap at him or say something rude, but she just shrugged. “I didn’t feel like a cone.”

That was all she said. From what he could tell so far, she seemed to like to give short answers to every question. Not that Greg seemed to mind; he could keep up a whole conversation with just himself talking. “So, are you in high school?” Greg asked, despite the girl remaining rather aloof. “Wirt’s in high school and he needs more friends.”

“Greg!”

“Yeah,” the girl nodded, turning her head to face him. “I’ll be a junior. What grade are you?”

“Junior,” he replied, face still pink. “So, uh, who was that girl at the ice cream truck?”

“Valentina,” Annie glanced over to the girl. “She’s no one.”

“Oh, uh, okay?”

Things were quiet at the table, no one saying anything for a long time. Eventually Greg polished off his ice cream while Wirt took his time with his. A breeze passed by and he shivered slightly, the hairs on his arms rising. It wasn’t even cold out, but something wasn’t right. He glanced behind him, a sinking feeling rising in his stomach. He could see shining eyes staring at him from the darkness of the forest trees.

“Hey Annie,” he turned to the girl. “Could you watch my brother for a moment? You don’t have to if you don’t want to; I just have to use the bathroom and-“

“It’s cool,” she shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“Thanks.”

He handed Greg the remainder of his cone, telling him not to eat it. He hurried off in the direction of the bathrooms, the fluttery feeling in his stomach still there. No, no, no, he couldn’t be here! Had he been following him all afternoon? Not surprising, he snorted as he walked quickly in the opposite direction of the picnic area. He didn’t have to use the restroom, but if he could lose The Beast, that would be great. If he could get the demon away from Greg and Annie, then he could handle The Beast. He couldn’t let Greg be in danger.

He broke out into a run, moving swiftly across the pavement and past cars. He didn’t know if The Beast was following, but he had to be sure. Surely that demon wouldn’t stick around just to watch Greg? He said he had no interest in him; that his interest was solely on Wirt, but who could be sure? If there was one thing he learned in The Unknown, was to never trust the demon.

_“Better be wise and don’t believe his lies!”_

He could feel the eyes on his back and then felt something wrap around his leg. He fell down onto the pavement, hands out in front of him to catch his fall. His palms stung painfully, but that was the least of his worries. He glanced over his shoulder for any sign of The Beast, but nothing was there. Only the few cars and animals that perched on the pavement. He twisted around to sit up, attempting to pull the vine of his leg. Not to his surprise, it didn’t budge. It only tightened to the point where he let out a painful hiss.

“Did you really think running away would stop me?”

He scowled at the voice, pushing down the panic that was threatening to topple over. “Let me go!” he grumbled, using his hands to tug at the vine wrapped around his leg. “Release me!”

The Beast only stared down at him with his pale eyes. “Did enjoy like my gift?” he asked, a smirk gracing his features. “A thank you will do, for now.”

“Stay away from my sister!” he snapped, almost forgetting for a second who he was talking to. “Stay away from my family! And stay away from me!”

The vine pulled tightly again and he let out a strangled cry. The vine had been tight before, but now he could feel it crushing against his bones, restricting blood flow. He paled, but refused to let The Beast see any sign of weakness. The Beast only stepped forward, gripping his chin tightly. “A little gratitude will go a long way,” he stared down at him coldly. “If you want me to release my hold, you will show your gratitude.”

Gritting his teeth and swallowing down his pride, he spoke. “Thank you,” between clenched teeth and pushed back the frustration. He had to keep cool; keep himself in check. If he could control the situation, then he might be able to get out of it quicker.

The vine released its hold on his leg and he couldn’t stop the gasp of relief from coming out of his mouth. It was likely bruised, but he tentatively stood up. It hurt, and he winced, but he would manage. The Beast only looked mildly, his grip of his chin still cold. “Much better,” the demon mused before releasing his chin. “And if you try and run again, it will be most…unpleasant.”

“What did you do to the woodsman?” he asked, surprised that that was his first question. “How did you get out of The Unknown?”

“So many questions,” the demon laughed, his eyes gleaming. In the cloudy sky, his hair looked darker and he was still dressed entirely in black. He still was very attractive, but that wasn’t surprising. How else was a demon supposed to lure humans in or something? “I will answer one question. I didn’t do anything to the Woodsman.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Of course not,” The Beast rolled his eyes. “Of course you believe what everyone in The Unknown told you. Such naivety is very unattractive.”

“I don’t care,” honestly, this drastic change from when he faced The Beast in The Unknown was unnerving. It still felt like a dream. Had he really changed this much? Facing The Beast was still frightening, but he didn’t feel as if he couldn’t do it. After all, someone had to protect Greg and the rest of his family from this demon. “Now, leave me alone. I’m going home with Greg.”

He turned away from the creature. Big mistake.

Hands instantly grabbed his shoulders, forcing him back. Roots broke through the concrete, wrapping around his arms and legs to keep him in place. He gritted his teeth, humiliated by that foolish decision. The Beast could have killed him if he wanted to! Who says he still couldn’t?

The Beast only clicked his tongue, shaking his head almost sadly. “How rude of you, Lover boy. It’s quite deplorable to walk away from someone when they haven’t even finished speaking with you,” he stepped forward, gripping his jaw painfully and bringing his face closer to his. “I wasn’t even finished telling you what I had to say.”

He just glared up at The Beast, heart slamming against his chest wildly. The demon was too close for comfort; much, much too close. “What?” he asked the best he could considering hands were on his face. “What do you want?”

“You, more or less,” The Beast only laughed, shaking his head. “But there is a lot more to it than that. My associate and I have been working on some plans.”

“You mean Bill!” he managed to get out, The Beast letting go of his face momentarily. “What are you two up to? Tell me!”

“So you met Bill.” It wasn’t a question, and Wirt could only watch The Beast frown disapprovingly. He shook his dark sandy blonde head and sighed. “Oh well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

The demon only traced a hand down his face, waving a hand to release his right arm from the vines and reached down. He pushed the sleeve of his shirt back, his pale, spindly fingers tracing over the tattoo. “You truly have no idea what this tattoo means, do you?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

The demon just lifted the appendage closer to his face, as if to study it more carefully. “I wonder just how long your mother intends to keep you in the dark,” The Beast mused, though Wirt couldn’t tell if it was to himself or to him. “Regardless, you cannot stop me and Bill from our plan.”

“What plan?” he asked in a desperate tone. “If you came here just to be vague and illusive, then leave! Let me go!”

“Now why would I do that?” The Beast tilted his head mockingly. “And have you, that little brother of yours, and those stupid twins try to stop us?”

“Well why else would you be here if you didn’t have anything important to say!” he snapped, eyes staring directly into The Beast’s. “Or are you just here to torture me?”

“Depends on your definition of torture,” The Beast mused and then sneered back at him. “If I am meeting your standards, then you’re welcome.”

“Damnit!” he struggled against the vines again, managing to free his left arm. He wasn’t sure if The Beast had loosened its hold on him, but he wasn’t concerned about that at the moment. He swung a left hook towards the demon. It hit his cheek, the demon only staring at him blankly. With his legs still trapped, he couldn’t move, and now he was worried.

The Beast only sighed in mild irritation. “Childish,” was what stated, right hand reaching out to grab Wirt by the back of his hair. “It didn’t even leave a mark.”

If anything, The Beast sounded rather disappointed. The demon’s grip on his hair only intensified, his face now close to his again. “You can fight as much as you like; it makes no difference to me,” he purred against his ear, a shudder traveling down Wirt’s spine at the sound of his deep voice. “When all of this is over and my partner and I have achieved our main goal, I will come for you. You won’t be able to escape me. I will have you, even if I have to take you kicking and screaming. And I can promise you one thing, Lover boy,” The Beast let his head slide lower, teeth now grazing the crook of his neck as he moved the material of his shirt aside. “You will learn to love me. In time.”

Then he bit down sharply, earning a strangled cry from Wirt.

The Beast then disappeared, the vines trapping him vanished as well. Wirt could only stand there, left hand pressed tightly to where the demon had bit him. Running back towards the bathroom, he investigated the damage that had been done to his skin. A purple mark was forming where The Beast had bit him. Groaning, he buried his face against his hands, sinking down to the floor as he huddled against the wall, too terrified to do anything else.

~

“It’s good to see you, Mrs. Macavin.”

“Please, Mr. Pines, call me Xiāng Líng.”

“Then I insist on being called Ford. Mr. Pines makes me feel too old.”

Xiāng Líng smiled at that, picking up the cup of tea that Ford had given her and brought it carefully to her lips. Blowing on the steaming liquid placed in a simple coffee mug, she observed her surroundings carefully. The dining room wasn’t the neatest, and she wouldn’t deny the fake attractions were a bit odd, but it was clear that people lived in the home and she liked that. Houses that were too neat bothered her. In her carrier next to her chair, her young daughter looked around the room with dark eyes, suckling on her pacifier.

“When I last saw you, you were hardly any bigger than your youngest son,” Ford continued on pleasantly. “It’s been a long time since I saw your father, Gang He. May I ask how he passed?”

“Stomach cancer. By the time he was diagnosed, there wasn’t anything that could be done,” she set down her teacup, noting the downcast look on Ford’s face. Changing the subject, she smiled tentatively. “The last time I saw you, I was five years old. And then you disappeared into other dimensions for…thirty years?”

“That’s right,” Ford nodded. “And my twin brother faked my death.”

“You won’t believe how hard it was to find you,” she sighed, setting the cup down gently. “I truly thought you were dead, but then I found the book you published recently and, well I wasn’t sure, but I took the risk to see if it was you.”

“Glad you did,” Ford nodded. “I’ve been trying to get in contact with my old friends from collage. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to Gang He before he passed.”

“I’m sorry too,” she reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “But he’s with mother now, so it’s not so bad. I’m just sorry my children will never get to meet their maternal grandparents, but I suppose that’s how life planned it out.”

Ford nodded, clearing his throat to say something, but kept quiet in the end. He gazed off into the distance, where he could hear Stanley giving a tour to a bunch of tourists from Maine. How they ended up in Gravity Falls astounded him, but he didn’t really care too much. He studied the daughter of his old colleague from school, now wondering what kind of lives his old friends had lived. The lives he hadn’t been able to be a part of. A twinge of regret and bitterness had settled in him a long time ago, but he had accepted it. There was nothing to be done about it.

“I have a favor to ask,” Xiāng Líng began again, all seriousness in her dark gray eyes. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t feel it was important and you don’t have to say yes, but I need to store away a few things in your underground lab.”

“What kind of things?”

“Well, you see, I don’t have these things yet, but they’re very important. I have to find them first and store them away before _they_ get ahold of them.”

Ford raised an eyebrow before nodding. “You’re talking about Bill Cipher, aren’t you?”

She frowned, but nodded her head in acknowledgement. “And he’s working with someone, though I’m not entirely sure on who he is. I’ve been having strange dreams, even though I don’t really know who Bill Cipher is. I’ve fought many demons, but never one like him,” she cast him a worried look, hand tightening on the edge of the table. “They’re after some things that will help them take the world back and if we find them first, then the world might stand a chance. You don’t have to help me; I understand-“

“Let me stop you right there,” Ford interrupted, gazing sternly at her. “If Bill’s involved and the rest of the world, then I’m obliged to help. I feel as though it is my fault he returned to the world, but my nephew Dipper told me last night that a witch brought him back. It seems all sorts of demons are gathering right now. Whatever is coming must be big. So yes, I will help you.”

She bowed her head, a relieved smile gracing her tired face. “Thank you, Ford.”

“And how could I not help out and old friend?” he gave a tired smile before leaning back in his seat. “So, what are these objects?”

She reached into her purse leaning next to the chair, pulling out a piece of paper and sliding it across the table. “There are seven objects, and I’m not sure where they would be located, but I have a sense they’ve all managed to end up in the same area. There’s a katana, a wine glass, a silver spoon, two double sided mirrors, a pair of golden scissors, a doll, and a key.”

Ford raised an eyebrow at the objects, mind going a mile a minute as he processed them in. “What are they, exactly?” he asked thoughtfully. “And why does Bill and whoever he’s working with, want them?”

“They’re the vessels of sin,” she answered in a grave tone. “And from what the Oracle Bones say, when all together they can grant any wish in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for the music box was from Princess Inuyoukai! I thought it was really awesome! Thank you!


	5. My Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summerween happens and a lot of other things too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments! School will be starting up again soon and I want to update Beyond the castle walls before it does. I'm still at a road block for that one, but I'm trying to get over it! Almost lost my documents on word because my computer decided to be an asshat. Thank god I had them backed up!

_Mayday, Mayday,_

_The Ship is slowly sinking,_

_They think I'm crazy,_

_But they don't know the feeling,_

_They're all around me,_

_Circling_ _like vultures,_

_They wanna break me,_

_And wash away my colors_

_~My Demons by Starset~_

**(June 22, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Greg, do you have your costume on yet?”

Their normally quiet and peaceful household was a blur tonight, Wirt looking distastefully at the Halloween décor placed around the house. From the record player next to the TV, spooky themed music sang noisily into the room and Wirt found it was incredibly distracting from what he was trying to do. Right now he tried read the rather interesting book he got from the library almost two weeks ago and with the noise sounding all through the house, he wasn’t having a very successful time doing that.

He quirked an eyebrow in annoyance, eyeing the record player thoughtfully as the thought of turning the music off ran through his mind. He decided against it, figuring it was a minor inconvenience if he wanted to finish this book. It was a rather fascinating tale of a demon who had fallen in love with a princess, who in turn was in love with one of her servants. Ironically, it reflected the situation he was in right now. Only without royalty and him being in love with anyone at the moment.

Subconsciously, he raised his left hand to the right side of his neck. The bite The Beast had left behind hadn’t faded. In fact, it hadn’t changed at all. It remained a dark and ugly purple color, but to his surprise, it didn’t hurt when he pressed on it. He covered it the best he could; wearing high colored shirts and putting his mother’s foundation on it, but that only worked some of the time. If he wasn’t careful, someone would notice. Even at breakfast that morning, his mother said something about how she was running low on foundation even though she just bought it.

Speaking of his mother, she walked into the room, dressed in a witch’s costume and her ink black hair held together in a bun to better fit the hat on her head. She applied for red lipstick to her lips before turning to him, twirling around once. “Well?” she asked, hands on her hips. “Do I look festive enough?”

He set the book down, giving her a half smile. “Very festive, Mom. Are you seriously dressing up to hand out candy to trick or treaters?”

“Yes I am,” she ignored his slightly disdainful tone and smiled, adjusting the hat further. “And Dave’s dressing up too. Greg’s supposed to be putting on his costume and we put Yin Wei in a pumpkin costume.”

“Real original.”

“Oh shush,” she sat down on the couch next to him, ruffling his hair a little to make it messy. He scowled, but scooted closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder. She gave a soft sigh, stroking his hair softly. “What’s on your mind, Worry Wirt?”

“Nothing,” he sighed as his mother ran her fingers through his hair. He liked being near her; he felt very safe with her. She hummed, making it very clear she wasn’t convinced and he sighed again. “I’m just,” he started up again, trying to think of something he could tell her. “Worried about Dad’s visit.”

“I understand,” she replied, looking at the record player distantly. “But I’m very proud of you for being the bigger person. It was a very responsible and mature decision, Wirt. And besides, it’s only for a few days and you can tell me if he makes you angry or uncomfortable,” She adjusted her body to look him in the face. “You know, Wirt, you can tell me anything. I’m your mother; I’ll always be on your side.”

“Mom, I…”

“TA-DA!”

Greg materialized into the room, spreading his arms out like he was going to take a bow. Wirt looked at the small boy, who stared up at his mother and brother with a huge grin on his face. With a fake confused look, Wirt tilted his head. “Nice job, Greg, but what are you supposed to be?”

“I’m an apple!” Greg looked slightly appalled that Wirt didn’t know what he was. “I’m doing my job to keep the doctor away!”

“Well you certainly are,” their mother grinned, stepping off the couch to adjust the stem with a leaf on Greg’s head. “You’re adorable, Greg. And you are sure to remember your manners when you go trick or treating tonight.”

“I will!”

She turned her head to look at Wirt carefully. “Are you sure you don’t want me or Dave to take him? I’m sure you’re busy and-“

“It’s fine,” he got off the couch, stretching his arms over his head and let out a yawn. “I want to take Greg and Yin Wei.”

“We’ll get double the candy if we take her,” Greg grinned. “Everyone loves babies!”

“Alright, but be sure to mind Wirt when he tells you to do something,” their mother nodded, standing up straight and placing her hands on her hips. “And don’t eat unwrapped candy, okay?”

“But Mom, candy is candy!”

“I’ll make sure he won’t,” Wirt nodded his head, assuring his mother. “What time do you want us back?”

“Before ten would be nice.”

Greg’s grin only grew wider, as if the thought of staying out late was the best thing that would ever happen to him. He grabbed his Summerween bag off the end table just as Dave walked into the room, carrying their four month old sister. Wirt had to smile at that; she did look rather cute in the costume, despite the fact she looked cranky.

Dave smiled sheepishly. “I just woke her up from her nap. If she gets too cranky, just bring her back home.”

“Okay,” he nodded as his step-father put the baby girl in her stroller. He moved it towards the door, taking the stroller from Dave and heading down the ramp. “Come on Greg!” he called out, pausing at the end of their driveway. “Greg, come on, let’s go!”

“I’m coming!” the boy called out, running down the ramp to meet Wirt. He stopped half way down in order to wave to their parents excitedly. “We’ll bring back lots of candy!” he promised them. “Lots and lots of candy!”

“Save some for me!” Dave called back, hand now clasped with their mother’s.

“Never!”

Wirt had to turn away from the scene to ignore the small sting of jealously that pierced him. He wasn’t going to take it out on Greg; not anymore, but he wouldn’t deny that he wished his father would have participated in his childhood events. All his father did was sit in his office and work, rarely ever spending time with him. He couldn’t even remember the last time they spent quality time together.

Shaking the thought away, he turned his focus back to Greg. “Okay,” he took the boy’s hand before he could dash ahead of him. “Which house do you want to go to first?”

“Let’s go to Dipper and Mabel’s house!”

“Alright.”

The walk there didn’t take very long; rather it only took half a minute to get there. From inside the window, he could see Dipper and Mabel chatting very enthusiastically while Ford sat on the couch reading a rather large book. He looked pretty preoccupied and if Wirt didn’t know any better, a bit concerned, as if he were looking for something in the book that could help him or answer a question.

As they neared the house, Wirt’s hands tightening on his sister’s stroller, he noticed a group of kids run from the house in terror. Candy buckets were strewn all across the yard and a rather large man with a question mark on his shirt was digging through the candy. Greg ran right up to the front door, ignoring Wirt’s protest and call for him to slow down.

He rang the doorbell, looking up with wide eyes as Grunkle Stan opened the door. Holding up his jack o’ melon bucket, he smiled sweetly at the old man. “Trick or treat!”

Grunkle Stan flinched, body convulsing in what looked to be a painful manner. Wirt frowned, pushing Yin Wei’s stroller forward to be closer to his younger brother. Grunkle Stan only twisted painfully. “What…what’s happening to me?” he asked in fake horror and all of a sudden, a pig burst from his chest. The old man only faked surprise and horror. “Why is there a pig coming out of me? Why? Oh why cruel world?”

Wirt wouldn’t deny it, he let out a little scream and was about ready to pull Greg away from the crazy man, but Greg only held up his bucket higher. “Candy please!”

Grunkle Stan frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the boy. The pig jumped away from his chest, snorting and walking back into the house where Mabel scooped him up with open arms. Greg only waved to the girl before returning his attention back to the old man. Grunkle Stan stepped back, hands on his hips. “Come on kid, you have to admit that was scary.”

“Nope,” Greg shook his head. “I’ve seen scarier.”

“Uh-huh, really? A happy, go-lucky kid like you?”

Greg just nodded. “Yup.”

“I must be getting too old for this,” Grunkle Stan shook his head. “Kids today just aren’t the same.”

“Told you so!”  Ford’s voice rang from the living room.

“Shut it, Poindexter!”

The old man disappeared, leaving Greg alone on the porch without any candy in his bag. The boy frowned, looking into his bucket sadly. Wirt felt his throat tighten in anger and was about ready to march into the house when a whole handful of candy fell into the bucket. Mabel patted his head, smiling with pearly white teeth. “You get extra for having the most original costume I’ve seen tonight,” she proclaimed, the sad look disappearing from Greg’s face. “Now chin up! Apples must be in their best condition in order to keep evil doctors away!”

As he walked by, Ford shot his niece a look. “Not all doctors are evil, Mabel.”

“Oh shush, Grunkle Ford!” she waved him off as he ventured into the kitchen. She turned her eyes to Yin Wei and squealed. “Oh, is this your sister? She’s so cute!”

“Careful,” Wirt warned, almost a little tentatively. “She’s a little cranky right now.”

Mabel just looked the baby over again and put some candy in the bag attached to her stroller. “That’s so nice you’re taking your sister and brother out. You must be the second best brother in the world!”

“Second best?”

“After Dipper, of course,” she motioned to the boy tying his shoes on the porch step. “Just like Greg is the best little brother in your world.”

“Yeah,” he couldn’t argue with that, watching as Greg sorted through the candy in his bag. He watched fondly as the boy picked out a piece of his favorite candy, popping it in his mouth. “Greg’s pretty great.”

“Why don’t we go with you?” Dipper offered, suddenly appearing beside Wirt. “We have nothing better to do.”

Wirt raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t there any Summerween parties to go to? Those are probably a lot more fun than accompanying me taking my brother and sister out trick or treating.”

“Please,” Mabel scoffed, looping her arm into his as they walked down the driveway, Greg singing along behind them. “Sure, Pacifica is throwing a party tonight, but we didn’t really want to go. The last party we went to almost got us put in jail.”

“Correction, it almost had you put in jail,” Dipper amended, shuddering at the memory. “If I hadn’t made you drop the smile dip, Grunkle Stan would have had to come and get you.”

He didn’t really want to know what they were talking about, but he knew perfectly well what Smile Dip was. The stuff made him sick and the last time he had it, was when he was four years old on Halloween. After one bite, it hurt his stomach and he threw up only a few minutes later.  He blanched slightly, but continued to listen to the twins talk.

Wirt had to admit, Gravity Falls really was a beautiful town at night. It reminded him a family trip once to New England, where they had stayed in a small town and he admired the old buildings and the colonial details of the homes they passed by. Gravity Falls, despite not having colonial town features, was charming in its own little way. With the way the street lamps were lit and how the jack o’ melons were carved, he couldn’t help but be entranced by it. In a sense, it reminded him of home.

At first he was too preoccupied with adjusting to life here to feel it, but now that things had calmed down slightly, he felt the homesickness. He missed the people who had called him their friend; he missed the home he had grown up in. He missed his old room, with the beige walls and the doorframe where there were markings of how tall he’d grown over the years. He assumed his mother had made those markings, but deep down he hoped it had been his father. However here, everything was different; unfamiliar. And with The Beast after him, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be in this town anymore.

“Hey, are you okay?”

He jumped at the sound of Dipper’s voice, looking quickly over at his new friend. “Oh, yeah,” he lied, trying to ignore the quizzical look the boy gave him. “Just, a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

“So you haven’t heard from The Beast?” Dipper asked again, narrowing his eyes slightly at the mention of the name. “Other than that thing he left in your sister’s room, he has contacted you?”

“Well-“

“Wirt! Why is there a hicky on your neck?”

He immediately turned red, releasing one hand from the stroller to adjust his shirt collar. It was too late; Mabel had already called it out and now they had stopped, the two twins peering down at him and Greg trying to see it. He hated being in the spotlight; hated it more than anything else. “When did this happen?” Dipper asked in a very forward manner, not at all abashed. “Did The Beast do this?”

“Almost two weeks ago, The Beast appeared to me again. We spoke, I guess and then he bit me,” he placed a hand carefully to the bite. “I thought it would go away, but it hasn’t. It hasn’t changed and I don’t know what to do about it. It doesn’t hurt, but I don’t want to keep hiding it from my parents; I don’t want them to know.”

Mabel looked at him with genuine sympathy. “You never told them?” she questioned quietly, arms wrapped around herself as a slightly chilly wind blew through. “You never told them about The Unknown?”

“Some of it,” he responded tersely. “But not all of it. Why would they believe me? They think I’m crazy! That’s one of the reasons we moved here; to get me away from all the bad memories.”

“Oh Wirt,” Mabel sighed. “We don’t think you’re crazy.”

“After what we’ve seen, we believe you,” Dipper finished. “And people think we’re crazy and weird, so we understand. Welcome to the crazy club.”

He didn’t respond to that, he only started walking again and the twins only sighed, giving each a look that Wirt still couldn’t decipher. He stared straight ahead, trying to keep his breathing even and his heart to stop pounding so loudly. He couldn’t have a panic attack. Not here; not now. He bit his lower lip, the appendage trembling as he thought about the last encounter with The Beast. Maybe the demon was right. Maybe there was no escaping from him…

“Wirt?”

He heard Greg’s voice, though in his ears, it sounded distant. The boy had placed his hand on his arm comfortingly. “What is it, Greg?” he asked, voice cracking a little.

“You don’t have to be scared,” the boy spoke, voice surprisingly calm and holding wisdom beyond his years. “I’ll take care of you. And if that old Beasty tries to take you away, I’ll save you just like how a knight saves his princess.”

He blanched slightly at the mention of being called a princess, but appreciated the words none the less. “Thanks, Greg, but I’ll be okay,” he smiled thinly to his little brother. “It’s you that I need to look after.”

“But then who’ll look after you?”

“I’ll be fine, Greg.”

They walked in silence to several more houses, and he watched calmly as Greg managed to convince everyone to give him extra amounts of candy. He didn’t even have to ask. The people took one look at him, smiled, and gave him huge pieces of candy. Even Lazy eyed Susan, who could judge quite fiercely on costumes, looked at Greg with such adoration that it made Wirt feel like a proud parent. She liked Yin Wei’s costume as well, but she just could not get over Greg’s.

“You kids be safe!” she called as they walked away to another house. “Happy Summerween!”

“Thank you!” Greg called back merrily, stuffing more candy in his mouth. “Hey Wirt, want some candy?”

“No thanks.”

“But I have a Mr. Adequate bar!” Greg held the piece of chocolate in front of him. “You know you want it!”

He took the bar from Greg, nodding to him in thanks. The twins were still eerily quiet and Wirt could tell that they were a little upset with him for not telling them sooner. He clenched his jaw firmly at the thought, trying to fight back the guilt. He knew they were just trying to help and offer support, but he didn’t want them to fight his battle. He could handle The Beast himself; he had to. If something happened to them or his family, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

As they rounded a street corner, Dipper suddenly stopped walking. He gingerly placed a hand to his forehead, hissing in pain as skin contacted skin. Mabel took immediate concern, placing a hand to her twin’s forehead. “Dipper,” she pulled her hand back, cradling her wrist as if it had burned her. “You’re foreheads on fire.”

Dipper took his hat off, pushing back his bangs to reveal a strange looking mark. Wirt studied it closely, blinking owlishly and Greg just grinned. “So that’s how you got your name!” Greg began in awe. “Because you’re the big dipper!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want,” Dipper removed his hand, cheeks now tinted pink. “I’ve had the mark since I was a baby; I don’t know how or why, but it’s always been there.”

“It’s cool!” Greg jumped, throwing a piece of candy at the older boy. “Wirt and I have tattoos, so why should we laugh at your birthmark?”

He was so proud of Greg and immediately gave a smile at his younger brother. Greg beamed happily while Dipper rubbed his forehead in irritation. “Fair point,” he acknowledged to Greg. “But it’s still hurting right now. It’s never done this before…”

“We should see Grunkle Ford,” Mabel took her brother by the hand. “He’s a doctor; he’ll know what to do!”

“Mabel, he’s not a medical doctor!”

“Same difference, Dip dot!”

“I don’t think you kids will be going anywhere, hahahahaha!”

The whole street burst into golden light; the three teens covering their eyes and Greg burying his head into Wirt’s shirt. Yin Wei started to cry, but Wirt wasn’t sure of what he could do at the moment. The light was so intense and he feared if he opened his eyes, he would go blind. He heard Dipper growl, the sound low and intense. “Bill!” he called out, and from the cracks of his fingers, he could see the boy remove his hands from his eyes. “Show yourself! Stop playing games!”

The light instantly vanished, but that obnoxiously high pitched voice didn’t. “But Pine Tree!” Bill lamented, even though none of them could see him. “Games are so much fun!”

The gates to the cemetery swung open, a gust of air pushing the twin iron gates apart and Wirt immediately pushed Greg behind him. The boy was in shock, his dark eyes wide, but not scared. He wished he could be like his younger brother for a moment, but right now he had to protect Greg. He wouldn’t let this psychopathic triangle hurt his brother!

Only, it wasn’t a psychopathic triangle that appeared out of the cemetery.

A tall man, a little bit taller than Wirt and definitely a lot taller than Dipper, waltzed out confidently from the cemetery. He was dressed nicely, only a bit too nicely. In a dapper yellow coat with tails and black slacks that seemed to make his legs go on forever. His hair was blonde, with a part of it on the left that was black and he wore a top hat on his head. An eye patch covered his right eye, hinting that the eye behind it was either damaged or not there, but his left eye was a piercing gold that seemed to glow in the dark night.

It was undoubtedly Bill, and he twirled around once. “Like what you see, Pine Tree?”

Dipper flushed pink, which Wirt assumed was anger and perhaps a bit of embarrassment. “How did you get that form?” the boy asked through clenched teeth. “Whose body did you steal? What kind of deal did you make?”

“Woah, relax kid, this body is mine,” Bill appeared immensely pleased with himself. “I can change my physical form in whatever way I want; even in the mindscape. Since this town is full of magical energy, it makes shape shifting so much easier!”

“Then why didn’t you do that before?” Dipper asked, arms crossed defensively over his chest. “If you could change your form, why did you need to possess my body?”

“Oh Pine Tree, possessing you was just so much fun! I really enjoyed being inside you,” he laughed again and Dipper flushed even darker. Bill leaned on his cane, eyeing all four of them in amusement. “This isn’t a human body, kid; I don’t have to eat or do any of that weird stuff you humans do.”

“Does that mean you don’t eat waffles?” Greg asked in horror.

“Greg, be quiet!” Wirt shushed him, a steady arm around him while the other kept their sister’s stroller to them.

“Oh hey there Lover Boy, Candy Pants,” Bill tipped his hat towards them. “How’s the love bite, Lover Boy? The Beast sends his regards.”

He flinched at the mention of The Beast, but glared in contempt at Bill anyway. “Tell him that I hate it and for him to leave me alone!”

Bill just laughed the sound of it so obnoxious that Wirt was tempted to cover his ears. “Old Beasty thought you might say that,” the demonic triangle in human form laughed before turning his attention to the twins. More specifically, Dipper. “You’ve really grown up, Pine Tree. I have to say, I’m impressed.”

Dipper just glared. “What do you want?”

“Oh, lot of things,” Bill laughed again. “The town, this world, revenge on your Grunkle for tricking me, and last, but certainly not least, you.”

“Me?!”

“Oh yes,” Bill only looked amused, as if Dipper’s confusion was the most hilarious thing in the world. “I like you; and that doesn’t happen very often. My kind normally hates humans, but when we find one we really, really like, well, we don’t give them up so easily.”

“You’re not taking my brother!” Mabel whipped out her grappling hook from her purse, pointing it dangerously at Bill. “You and that Beast can go because I’m not letting any of you get my boys!”

“Like you have any say in what we do, Shooting Star!” Bill narrowed his one eye at her. “It doesn’t matter what you do; I’ll still get my Pine Tree. The Beast will get Lover Boy and well, the rest you’ll find out about.”

The four of them backed away, with Wirt pulling his sister’s stroller along with him. The demon only continued to look pleased with himself and turned around slightly to look behind him. “Are you done yet?” he asked, only sounding slightly impatient. “We have things to do; the clock is ticking.”

“Be patient,” an eerily familiar voice began. “I’m just about done.”

The gates to the cemetery swung open again and Wirt felt the cold panic course through his body. From the darkness, The Beast stepped forward with tall, graceful strides and stood beside Bill, standing a few good inches taller than Bill. Almost like how a tree was tall, Wirt noted, but quickly shoved that thought aside. He glared at The Beast hatefully. “What do you want?” he growled, hating how Greg hid behind him, as if he recognized those pale, but beautiful, eyes.

“We are here on business,” The Beast spoke smoothly, ignoring the owlish looks Dipper and Mabel were shooting him. He turned his eyes to Greg, nodding and smirking at the boy. “Hello again, Gregory.”

“Stay away from my brother!” Wirt snapped, Greg hiding further behind him. “Just stay away from us!”

“Maybe you should listen to him, Beasty,” Bill mocked, his golden eye staring at the three teens in cruel humor. “I mean, he did kill the Spider witch. He is a Liang, after all. All of us demons know not to mess with them.”

As Bill snickered, The Beast only spared the other demon a glance. “Of course I know who he is; I’ve crossed paths with his family before.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot!”

Wirt narrowed his eyes, his right hand still firmly gripped on his sister’s stroller and he eyed the tattoo on the bottom of his arm. “What are you talking about?”

His question only seemed to make Bill laugh harder. “He seriously doesn’t know?” Bill slapped his knee once before leaning back on his cane, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. “Does his mother not tell him anything? How long does she want to drag this out?”

“I’m sure we won’t have to wait long,” The Beast only shrugged. “Now we should probably get going. The creature we awoke is definitely going to come out soon and I for one do not want to cross paths with it while it is still hungry.”

“Agreed,” Bill nodded, shooting Dipper a wink. “See you in your dreams, Pine Tree.”

He vanished in a fury of golden light while The Beast only melted back into the shadows. Mabel only placed a hand to her head, staring at a crack on the sidewalk. “Wow,” was all she said for a long time, brown eyes swimming with a mixture of emotions. “Why do these things always happen to us?”

“Good question,” Dipper grumbled. “I’ll be sure to ask Bill when I see him next.”

Greg only clutched onto Wirt harder, and he could feel his younger brother shiver slightly. “Greg?” he asked, removing the boy’s arms from his waist. He removed his hand from the baby’s stroller, kneeling down to Greg’s eye level with his hands on his small shoulders. “Greg, listen to me, I swear The Beast is not going to come after you.”

Greg shook his head, trying very bravely not to cry. “But he’s after you!” he sniffed, wiping his eyes. “What if he gets you? What if I can’t protect you like a good leader?”

“That won’t happen,” he vowed, pulling the boy into an embrace he wouldn’t have given him a year ago. It still surprised him how quickly things had changed. “You don’t have to protect me, Greg. I’ll protect you and that nasty old tree demon won’t get you.”

Greg hugged him back tightly, his breath hot against his ear while he spoke. “Wirt?”

“Yeah?”

“Why is there a woman in her pajamas running towards us?”

He immediately turned to what Greg was looking at. His eyes widened, panic rising up again as a woman wearing an old fashioned nightgown raced towards them with incredible skin. She was even paler than The Beast and her eyes were blood red with a black slit for a pupil. Her pale lips were open, revealing two sharp fangs that were long and dangerously sharp.

“Vampire!” Mabel cried out, taking Dipper’s hand in fear. “And not the hot kind!”

There was nowhere to run to and with trick or treaters still roaming around, he didn’t want to have the creature chase them into town and endanger even more people. Wirt fumbled around, looking for something when all he could come up with was a long tree branch. “Get behind me!” he called for the twins, who immediately did as he said. His heart slammed against his chest as the vampire lady raced towards them, laughing like a lunatic. The tree branch was a stupid idea; what was he thinking? He was going to get them killed!

He closed his eyes briefly, the sound of her footsteps getting even closer and he waited for the blow to come, but it never did.

The sound of metal and screaming echoed in his ears; the strong metallic scent of blood hitting his nose. He opened his eyes, only to find that the vampire woman lay dead, or at least, he assumed she was dead, on the ground. That, however, wasn’t what shocked him.

“Mom?” his voice came out in an incredulous whisper, the others coming out from behind him; Yin Wei held tightly in Mabel’s arms.

She was still in her witch costume as she wiped a bit of blood off her face. She smiled wanly down at them, sheathing the blade into its container. “Oh Wirt,” she sighed sadly, eyes downcast. “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

There was a long moment of silence before Dipper’s voice broke out. “What the hell is going on?”

~

**(Mystery Shack, 8:30 pm, June 22)**

Though the dining room of the mystery shack wasn’t that big, it still managed to fit nine people comfortably into the room. Wirt sat sandwiched between Mabel and Dipper on the floor, all three of them holding cups of hot cocoa in their hands and staring down at the large marshmallows. Dave held Yin Wei, who was fast asleep while their mother held Greg in her lap, smoothing down his dark blonde hair as he stared off into space.

Ford and Stan sat at the dining table in silence, drinking their coffee without speaking a word to one another. Even Mabel, who was usually cheerful and full of energy, was eerily silent.

Wit was the one who eventually broke it, staring up at his mother accusingly. “What was that? Since when do you know how to kill vampires, or whatever that crazy woman was?”

“She’s a vampire,” his mother sighed. “I should have killed her years ago instead of locking her in that mausoleum.”

Ford looked up at her, shaking his head slightly before stepping back from his chair. “Kids, there are some things that Xiāng Líng and I have never mentioned to any of you before. You see, I was friends with her father and when I found out what he was, I never told anyone. It only confirmed my belief in the supernatural.”

“That doesn’t explain anything,” Wirt grumbled. “What do you mean by, ‘what he was?”’

“He was Liang,” his mother said, as if that cleared anything up.

He only sighed in irritation, setting his mug down on the floor and crossed his arms. “I know he was Liang,” he grumbled, knowing full well he was being disrespectful but at the moment, he didn’t care. “But what was that? You destroyed the vampire so quickly and-“

“Wirt,” his mother interrupted, eyes only meeting his briefly as she ran her fingers through Greg’s hair. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I’m sorry I hadn’t told you earlier, but I’ll tell you now. All of you can know now; you’re all a part of this anyway.”

He glanced over at Dave. “Does he know?”

Dave just nodded as he rocked Yin Wei gently in his arms. “I’ve known for a very long time,” the older man spoke softly before going quiet again.

His mother set Greg down on the floor, and the boy immediately settled himself in Wirt’s lap, burrowing his head underneath his chin. Standing up, his mother looked down at the four of them on the floor sadly. “Our family has been involved in the supernatural for over a thousand years. It all started when your great grandmother, Wu, banished the demon that had been terrorizing her village for years. Ever since, our family has attracted demons because of our knowledge on how to defeat them.”

“So you’re a family of demon hunters?” Mabel spoke up, brown eyes wide and curious. “That’s so cool!”

His mother only smiled grimly. “I suppose; it’s not something we go around talking about,” she glanced over at Ford. “I met Ford when I was five years old and he’s been one of the few outsiders to know of our family.”

“We know Bill is back,” Ford continued on calmly, though his eyes held anger in them. “And while we don’t know what exactly he’s planning this time, we know it’s not good. From what Xiāng Líng and I have gathered, he’s working with other demons to achieve this goal. I fear it may be even bigger then Weirdmaggedon.”

Dipper shivered, looking up towards his Grunkle. “And he’s after me for some reason,” Wirt noticed the older man scowl at that and the look of fear flash over Dipper’s face. “I don’t want to know what he’s implying, but I don’t like it. And he’s working with this demon called The Beast.”

His mother glanced quickly at him and Greg. “Is this The Beast you’ve told me about from your trip to The Unknown?”

Wirt nodded quickly, hiding his face in shame. “He’s been bothering me for a few weeks now; claiming that I belong to him and that when they’ve achieved their goals, he’s going to get me.”

He noticed how his mother ground her teeth, eyes like steel as she stared intently at the wall. “Has he hurt you?” she asked, her voice low and threateningly.

“He bit me,” he confessed, moving his shirt collar down to show the bite. “And he’s kissed me several times.”

His face went red after confessing that and press of his mother’s cool fingertips against the bruise didn’t make anything better. What kind of person wanted their mom to see a love bite someone left on them? As she examined the bruise, Dipper started speaking again. “How was Wu able to banish the demon?” he asked, looking very perplexed. “When Wirt defeated the spider witch in the cave a few weeks ago, he moved and fought as if…” he trailed off, thinking for the right word. “As if he knew how to fight. I’ve never seen someone move like that.”

Wirt only gazed at his mother as she nodded her head. “Along with our family name being feared and hated by demons and supernatural alike, we are also known for something else. When Wu fought and banished the demon, she went through something we call the Awakening process.”

“Awakening process?”

She nodded again at the brunette’s question. “The Awakening happens after witnessing something truly life changing; something that’s usually traumatic. The best way I can describe it, is knowing exactly what needs to be done. After the Awakening, our physical abilities are heightened as well as our sensitivity to the world around us. Our speed, strength, agility, accuracy, and coordination is far beyond that of the average person.”

From her spot on the left of him, Mabel glanced quickly at Wirt. “Well, that explains how you killed the witch.”

“Great,” he grumbled, wanting to hide away from everyone’s stares. “I’m even more of a freak.”

Mabel gave him a look before turning her focus back towards his mother. “How did you Awaken?”

His mother swallowed once before turning away and looking at Dave. “That’s a story for another time. What we need to do now is train Wirt and have everyone prepared for what is to come,” she adjusted her focus back to her sons. “Greg hasn’t Awakened yet, which I am thankful for, but I know you have, Wirt. I’m sorry it had to happen; I would have liked for you to have a normal life, but that’s not how the cards played out for any of us.”

“We know a way on how we can stop The Beast,” Ford continued, glancing at his brother who was unusually quiet. “Xiāng Líng and I have been doing some research and we know what Bill and The Beast are looking for,” he held open a large picture, filled with seven random and rather mundane objects. “Now I know what you’re thinking, but don’t be fooled. These aren’t random things that can be played with or used normally. These are the Seven Vessels of Sin. And if they’re gathered together, they can grant any wish in the world.”

Greg’s eyes widened and for the first time in a while, he spoke up. “Any wish?”

“That’s right, young man.”

“Could it grant me a magic flying tiger?”

Ford looked confused by his childish question and chose to ignore it rather than answer. “While I don’t know what the enemy is planning, I do know it can’t be anything good. If we gather the objects first, they won’t be able to achieve what they want.”

“Where would we even begin to look?” Dipper asked, now doubtful and a bit crestfallen. As he leaned against the dining table, he picked at a scab on his knee. “These objects could be anywhere in the world. Even in another dimension!”

“While we do know that one of them is in another dimension, the others have been gathered closely to one another,” Ford smiled triumphantly. “In fact, we have one of them with us right now.”

“We do?”

“Dipper, you know that key the forgotten president Quentin Trembley gave you?” Ford’s smile on grew bigger as Dipper nodded. “Well, after doing some research and comparing it to the picture, I can confirm that it is indeed one of the vessels.”

Dipper looked in a mixture of horror and wonder. “Which one?”

“Wrath,” Wirt jumped slightly at the cool tone of his mother’s voice. “The key was originally called Grim’s End and while it looks like a normal key, it can shape shift into anything depending on the amount of rage in a person. I doubt Trembley, the old fool, knew what he was actually carrying around.”

Glancing at her with worry, Dave began to speak in a soft voice. “So, do any of you know where to start looking?”

“No,” Ford admitted. “One of the objects isn’t even in this world. We have an advantage, but we probably won’t have it for much longer.

~

_In his dream, he was back over the garden wall._

_Wirt stared down his reflection in the water, watching with strange fascination at the image before him. It made no sense; he saw his reflection every day, but this time it was different. It stared back at him coldly, the dark gray eyes changing to strange multicolored eyes that made him jump away, scrambling back into the grass._

_Roots wrapped around his body, pulling him back to the lake as he fought. He screamed, grabbing at anything that would keep him grounded. But the roots were strong; not caring if he scraped himself or if they pulled too tightly. Water sloshed in his mouth; plugging up his nose violently as the waves crashed over him and blocked out his screams for help._

_The light faded quickly from him and there was nothing but darkness. He was falling into the black and he closed his eyes, waiting for the blunt impact that would eventually kill him._

_Instead, he landed in a pair of arms. Not just anyone’s arms, but the arms of the thing he feared and hated the most._

_“Told you,” The Beast mocked, chuckling as Wirt flailed around in his arms for an attempt of escape. “You can never be free from me. I have you now. You. Are. Mine!”_

_And with that, he walked away with a screaming and flailing Wirt in his arms._

He woke up after that, cold sweat trickling down his face mixed with the tears as he buried himself into his pillow.

 In the distance, he swore he could hear that haunting, yet catchy tune.

_“Come wayward souls…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what to do!


	6. World so Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt and his mother discuss their family and what it means to be Awakened. The Beast and Bill further their plans and talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented! I am so excited to further work on this story! Bleck, school starts again next week, but I'm looking forward to all my classes! I hope you all are having a safe and happy winter. I personally hate the season, but spring will be here before we know it! I hope I did Wirt's Awakening justice!

_It starts with pain,_

_Followed by hate,_

_Fueled by the endless questions no one can answer,_

_A stain covers your heart,_

_And tears you apart just like a sleeping cancer,_

_Now I don't believe men are born to be killers,_

_I don't believe the world can't be saved,_

_How did you get here and when did it start?_

_An innocent child with a thorn in his heart_

_~World so cold by 12 Stones~_

 

_Greg was dying._

_As he sat there on the ground, the Edelwood branches growing around him; cocooning him like a caterpillar. Wirt ran towards him, tears welling up in his eyes as relief and more fear poured over him. He found him! He found Greg! He could get them home; he had to get them home. “Greg? Greg! Are you-?”_

_“Wirt?” Greg cut him off weakly, the dark purple bags under his eyes prominent against his pale skin._

_The relief poured over him like a wave and he allowed himself a tentative smile. “Oh, Greg!”_

_“Wirt, I did it. I beat The Beast!” The child tried to sound excited, but talking only seemed to make him weaker. He coughed painfully, three crisp orange leaves popping out of his mouth._

_Beatrice flapped her wings nervously, her little bird face full of worry and anguish. “Oh jeeze the leaves are even growing inside of him!”_

_“No,” Greg spat out another leaf. “I was just eating leaves.”_

_Beatrice only offered a little smile. Greg coughed again, looking up at him weakly. “I’m sorry Wirt.”_

_“No!” he cut Greg off, trying not to sound sharp with him. He clutched the lantern tighter, trying not to shiver too much in the cold. “No, Greg,” he sniffled, wiping his right eye as a tear threatened to fall down his face, yet he didn’t stop the tear from falling down his left eye. “It’s my fault we ended up here. Everything’s been my fault. I…I should have been more-“_

_“No, I mean my Rock facts rock!” Greg tried to shake his head, but the branches only grew a little bit more._

_“What?”_

_“I…I stole it, Wirt,” Greg confessed, waving the rock in his hand sadly. “I stole it from Mrs. Daniel’s garden. I’m a stealer, and that’s a rock fact.”_

_“What? No, Greg, that doesn’t matter,” he tried to reason with his brother, but Greg only looked at him with wide, sad eyes._

_“It does matter!” Greg coughed again, the sound a bit more sickly sounding. “You have to return it for me, okay?”_

_“No!” he grabbed his little brother’s hand, trying to reassure him the best he could. “You can give it to her yourself!” He picked up their frog, who looked just as sick and tired as Greg. “We have to get Jason Funderberker home, right?”_

_Greg only smiled weakly. “Jason Funderberker…the perfect…frog name,” he said before he fell unconscious, the wind blowing around them mournfully._

_“Greg? Greg!”_

_Beatrice flew away from him, settling towards Greg’s body. “Come on! Let’s get him out of this!” she started tugging at the branches with her little bird beak._

_“Yeah…yeah!” more tears poured down his face as he grabbed the branch that wrapped around Greg’s torso. Much to his dismay, his thin noodle like arms weren’t able to pull it away. “Come on!” he growled. “Come on!”_

_“It’s gonna be fine, Wirt!” Beatrice tried to keep him calm, but he could hear the worry in her voice._

_No. Things were not going to be fine if he couldn’t free his brother._

_The sound of something falling loudly to the ground distracted the two of them. Both he and Beatrice gasped as the Woodsman’s body collapsed to the ground, the lantern in Wirt’s hand illuminating his tired and worn body. A shadowy figure stood behind him, with pale glowing eyes. The things eyes stared at him hollowly as it spoke in a bone chilling deep voice. “Give me my lantern.”_

_He stepped back slightly, now confused. “Your lantern?”_

_“No way, we need this thing!” Beatrice snapped at the monster, almost as if she knew what it was._

_“Yeah,” Wirt agreed, pulling the object closer to him. “I’m keeping this. I have to get Greg home!”_

_“Your brother is too weak to go home. He will soon become part of my forest,” The monster, more correctly, The Beast, seemed to sneer at him._

_“I won’t let that happen!”_

_The Beast closed his hands together, almost like a prayer. “Well then,” he (it?), purred slowly. “Perhaps we better make a deal.”_

_“Deal?”_

_“I can put his spirit in the lantern,” The Beast continued, extremely pleased with the situation at hand. “As long as the flame stays lit, he will live on inside. Take on the task of lantern bearer or watch your brother perish.”_

_For a moment, he hesitated. He lifted the lantern up slowly, staring at it carefully. The Beast only stared back at him with those luminescent eyes. “Come here.”_

_Wirt gave a sigh, bowing his head in defeat. “Okay.”_

_Beatrice only gasped in surprise and possibly anger. “Wirt!”_

_He stepped forward towards the demon, the snow crunching cruelly underneath his shoes. The Beast didn’t move, nor did his eyes leave his body. With a defeated look, he set the lantern down on the snowy ground. This…this was for the best, right? He was doing this for Greg. He was being a good brother for once. He was doing something worthwhile._

_Then, the sound of a ringing bell echoed in his ear. He grabbed the lantern again, standing up straight. “Wiat,” he began, mind now working a mile a minute. “That’s dumb.”_

_“What?” The Beast clearly wasn’t expecting this and he stared at him even more intensely._

_“That’s dumb,” he started again, narrowing his eyes at the monster as he explained in a matter of fact tone. “I’m not just gonna wander around in the woods for the rest of my life._

_“I’M TRYING TO HELP YOU!” The Beast’s voice dropped down several inhuman octaves and Wirt tried to fight back the fear threatening to release itself._

_“You’re not trying to help me,” he argued back. “You just have some weird obsession with keeping this lantern lit. It’s almost like your soul is in this lantern.”_

_That being said, the Woodsman lifted his head, a spark of realization and betrayal flickering in his eyes. Beatrice gasped, little eyes widening as The Beast waved a hand, moving forward._

_Then they were all gone. Everything was gone. Wirt coward in fear, clutching the lantern as his only source of protection. If Beatrice called to him, he couldn’t hear her. The world was covered by darkness and only The Beast’s eyes could be seen. The beautiful mixture of different colors boring into him harshly._

_“ARE YOU READY TO SEE TRUE DARKNESS?”_

_He was numb; frozen. All he could do was shake at the very sound of the demon’s voice. A part of him wanted to run; wanted to flee and never see this awful creature again. The childish part of him; the selfish and cruel side that had made Greg turn into a tree pleaded at him to run. It pulled at him; calling for him to run and leave Greg; to save himself and find a place to hide._

_Then all of a sudden, the childish voice of his was gone. As he stood there, facing The Beast with wide eyes, he remembered. Whether or not it was the right place to remember these sorts of things, he didn’t know or care. He had seen it before, over and over again. Ever since he was a little boy, asking his father to spend time with him; asking him to listen to him play clarinet or just anything in general. It was always happening right in front of him; he always got the same reply._

_“Not now, Wirt, I’m busy.”_

_“Go bother your mother.”_

_“I don’t have time for you right now.”_

_“Quit being a pest and go away.”_

_But he always pretended not to notice; to protect his heart from the hurt and rejection. Then all of a sudden, before he even realized it, his father was gone. Packed out of the house and living in New York City. Before he even realized it, time had slipped away from him. Everything after the divorce was a blur, a mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. His mother remarried with her childhood sweetheart, he got a new sibling, and their house became a bit more messy and not as neat and tidy as it once was._

_He ignored Greg; treating him as if he were a pest that just wouldn’t go away, no matter how cruel or mean he was. “Quit being a pest, Greg. Go away. Go play with Mom or Dave.” Why was he so cruel? When had he started to sound…sound like his father? The façade broke; the illusion shattered beyond all repair. The world was…merciless like that._

_In that moment, his body stopped shaking. Everything was so clear to him now. If he didn’t do something now, Greg was going to die. The little brother who didn’t deserve his callous and cruel attitude was going to die because of him. The world was merciless like that, taking the lives of innocent children before their time. Life was so miserably short and at the rate he was going, he was just wasting it. Wasting the time he could be spending with his brother, loving and cherishing him because they were family. A brother was still a brother. Was it too late? Time was just so, so very precious. He had to find a way. There was always a way._

_“Are yo-“he didn’t mean for his voice to crack; it just kind of happened and he brought a hand to his lips. He stared back at The Beast steadily, knowing full well he had the upper hand now. He was in complete control. Never before had he been this focused and ready to protect anyone; least of all Greg._

_“Are you?”_

_He lifted the little door, taking in a breath before allowing the rest of his plan to work. The Beast fell for it._

_“Don’t!” The darkness disappeared and The Beast almost sounded frightened, a hand out to pleadingly ask him to stop. “Don’t! Wait!”_

_Everyone in the clearing was deathly silent. He scoffed, “Pfft,” and turned away from The Beast to the Woodsman. He held the lantern out to the old man, looking at him with sympathy and concern, but he felt so relaxed and calm at the same time. “Here, Woodsman. I’ve got my own problems to take care of. This one’s yours.”_

_The old man took the lantern and he turned away, feeling the cold anger of The Beast on his back. He didn’t care; what could a shadow do anyway? “My brother and I are going home,” he said firmly, picking up the axe that lay precariously on the ground._

_He chopped at the branches holding Greg, avoiding to hit any parts that might hurt his younger brother. When he was done chopping the thick branches away, he scooped the younger boy onto his back, turning to Beatrice. “Come with us,” he pleaded simply, but she only shook her head._

_“I got to go home, too,” she said, regret tinging her voice. “Admit to my family it’s my fault they’re bluebirds.”_

_He reached down, Greg still firmly on his back and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the golden scissors, clearing throat. Her little eyes widened, wings flapping open in shock. “What?”_

_“The scissors that’ll make your family human again.”_

_“You had them all along?”_

_He gave her a sheepish look. “I…I used them to escape Adelaide, and then…then, yeah, I was sort of mad at you.”_

_She shot him a look before her tiny bird wings wrapped aroud him, a few tears slipping down her soft blue face. “Oh, you wonderful mistake of nature!”_

_He thought that would be the last they saw of The Beast. As he stepped through the light, embracing a now human Beatrice, he thought he could hear the distant echoes of the demon’s song. But it couldn’t be real. The Woodsman ended his own nightmare. It was all over._

_“Goodbye, Beatrice.”_

_“Goodbye, Wirt.”_

_~_

**(June 23, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Locked in prison with no escape, keeping track of long lost days. Where will my weary soul reside when there is nothing left inside?”

To the sounds of the rain pitter pattering against his bedroom window, Wirt sat at his desk with a pencil tapping irritably at the notebook paper in front of him. With a loud sigh, he set the pencil down to rub at his sore and tired eyes, ignoring the stinging sensation that came with it. After that dream, he didn’t sleep at all. He lay awake in bed, too terrified to even attempt going back to sleep. Whether it was Bill causing the nightmares or if it really was The Beast plaguing his dreams, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he couldn’t get the nightmares to go away.

With another sigh, he picked up his pencil and began to write again, speaking out loud as he wrote. “Who will want my pained soul, whose actions made of me a fool? Can I ever live with myself, or in eternal darkness will I dwell?”

“Can the light of truth free me, or all alone will I ever be? The fate of my life is long gone, for I have done too much wrong.”

He titled the poem _Lost Soul_ , perhaps in memory to the souls who lost themselves to The Beast. He leaned back in his desk chair, staring at the poem with narrowed eyes. No, it still wasn’t good enough for his book. Currently it was hidden away in one of the drawers to his desk, full of poems about The Unknown. Ranging from the beauty to the absolute cruelty he’d witnessed and done himself.

“Knock, knock!”

He slammed his notebook shut, shoving it in his drawer the second his bedroom door opened. With a tray of tea in her hands, his mother managed to open the door quietly and walked in slowly. Her black hair was in a bun today held together by chopsticks. He assumed she was taking a quick break from work to stop by and see how he was doing but right now, he wasn’t in the mood to talk to her.

“What do you want?” he grumbled. Disrespectful and rude, he knew that, but he didn’t care.

“Walter,” she began firmly, setting the tray down on his desk. “Walter, I know you’re upset with me. I don’t blame you, but that doesn’t give you the right to speak to me with disrespect.”

He sighed, drawing his knees up to rest his chin on them. “Sorry,” he muttered, not meeting her eyes. “Let me guess, you want to talk?”

“Obviously,” she handed him a cup of tea and took her own before sitting down on his bed. She blew on it gently, eyes not meeting his for a long time. They sat in silence, with only the pattering of the rain and the occasional rumble of thunder. He stared down at his own tea, not feeling enough strength to even lift the cup to his lips.

“Wirt,” she started up again quietly and he looked at her, the sound of her soft voice catching his attention. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you all of this before. When I found out you and Greg were unconscious in the hospital…” her voice cracked and she quickly cleared her throat, blinking the tears back. “I almost thought I lost you two. I’ve lost my family before and all I could think about was having to start over again. It was selfish of me and for that, I apologize immensely. I didn’t want to think you had Awoken till I noticed.”

“Noticed what?” he asked, albeit a bit bitterly.

“You changed,” she sighed tiredly. “When we Awaken, our personalities change. The event in which awakened our power changes us. You’re more protective over Greg; you actually _want_ to spend time with him. When Yin Wei was born, I feared you would resent her too, but you’re as protective of her as you are your little brother.”

“Time is short, and so very precious,” he found himself saying after taking a long sip of chamomile tea. “Everything in life is so temporary. When I found Greg almost turning into an Edelwood tree,” he heard the sharp inhale of his mother’s breath and shivered in spite of himself. “I tried to free him with my bare hands, but I knew I was running out of time. I couldn’t save him without the Woodsman’s axe. If I hadn’t found him, I would have lost him forever. He would have slipped away like the sands of time.”

“The Woodsman?” she asked, cocking her head slightly. “I’ve never heard you mention a Woodsman before.”

So he told her of The Unknown and the adventures they had partook in. He told her of the wonders and horrors of the strange world. She took it in with a calm, collected expression, but he could see the wonder swimming in her dark eyes. She didn’t say anything; she just sat on the bed and listened intensely at each word. She nodded at a few names, like Beatrice, Lorna and Auntie Whispers, but it was clear she didn’t know who they were.

“You’ve mentioned The Beast before,” she inquired quietly, after he finished speaking. “When did you first come in contact with him again?”

“I thought I saw him around town a few times, but I always shrugged it off; thinking it was just paranoia,” he wanted to laugh at how stupid that sounded, but refrained from doing so. “Then one day at the café when Dave stepped out, he showed himself to me. He was in a human form; I guess demons can do that and he said that I belonged to him. Then he kissed me and disappeared.”

His face was beet red and his mother had turned chalky white. She clutched the teacup with such force he was afraid it would snap and break under her grip. Yet in the end it didn’t and she just stared stonily at the wall. “So you have a demon after you,” she spoke gravely, her face solemn. “This has never happened before; at least not to our family.”

He set his cup on the desk, slumping forward to rest his head in his hands. “Well that’s just great,” he grumbled. “Aren’t I a special snowflake?”

She patted his head comfortingly. “Now, now, chin up,” she attempted a smile, but he could tell she was preoccupied with the thought of a demon getting her oldest son. “I won’t let that evil Beast get you. I’ll die before that happens.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

She paused, stepping up from the bed to head towards the door. On her way out, she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “Here,” she began, her cheeks tinted a little pink. “I attempted some poetry and although it’s not very good, I’d like you to have it. I wrote it years ago, when I was trying to be a poet myself.”

His jaw dropped slightly. “You liked poetry as a teen?”

“Well where did you think you got it from? Your father?” she teased, lifting the mood a bit. “I wrote it a few years after…after my mother died. I’ve never told you that story, have I?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

“I’ll tell you later,” she rested a hand on the door, though she didn’t open it. “I’ve got to return to work now. Are you sure you don’t want me to stay or anything?”

“I’m okay,” he was lying; he wasn’t sure if he was going to be okay, but he didn’t want her to worry. “You go to work; I’ll be alright.”

Her frown only deepened. “Haven’t you noticed?” she began softly. “Greg’s been quiet.”

The sentence hit him like a slap to the face. Greg was never quiet. Never. He could always hear the boy’s cheerful voice throughout the house but right now, there was nothing but silence. “Is he okay?” he asked suddenly, protective brother instincts kicking in. “Is he sick?”

“No,” she sighed. “But he had a nightmare last night and came crying to me this morning. I didn’t want to wake you, but he was practically inconsolable. He was asking for you and when I was about to go get you, he told me not to bother you.”

He felt the guilt crash over him like a tidal wave. He was up all night while his little brother was being plagued by bad dreams. How could he let Greg suffer alone like that? “I’ll go talk to him,” he reassured his mother, giving a half smile. “Everything will be okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

He let her kiss his forehead before the figure of her body disappeared down the stairs. He walked the short walk to Greg’s room, opening the door slowly to see the boy curled up into a little ball on the floor, his dinosaur blanket wrapped around him as a form of protection. He strode quietly into the room, kneeling down to where his little brother lay on the floor. “Greg?” he asked, placing a hand on the boy’s back. “Greg, can you speak to me?”

Opening an eye, Greg looked up at him. “Wirt?” he asked, adjusting himself to sit up and wiped his eyes, giving a little sniffle. “You’re okay?”

“Of course I am,” he smiled gently, pulling his brother into his arms. “I am so sorry, Greg. I couldn’t sleep at all last night and I just found out you had a nightmare. I’ve been wallowing in self-pity all day and I didn’t even think to check on you.”

“It’s okay,” Greg’s voice was quiet; too quiet. “I didn’t want to bother you because of all that weird magic talk last night.”

Had Greg understood it at all? Just by looking at his little brother, he could easily deduce that the boy was a little bewildered by last night’s conversation. In his defense, it had been late at night. Greg had spent a majority of it in his lap, doing off a few times and only asking questions when he had been listening.

Could Bill have done this just to hurt them? He wouldn’t put it past the evil triangle, but how were they supposed to protect themselves from dreams? He couldn’t spend every night lying awake in bed. It was impossible!

“You can bother me anytime; Greg. You’re not a pest.”

“I know,” the boy wiped more tears from his eyes. “My dream was really, really weird. And not the good kind of weird.”

“Tell me,” he wiped a few more loose tears from Greg’s eyes, nodding his head for him to speak.

Greg sniffled a few more times; glancing out his window as if he were afraid something would jump in and snatch him up. “I was wandering through The Unknown all by myself, looking for you. I could hear The Beast, and he was singing that song about chopping innocent trees down. When I kept running after him, he would laugh and say I was too late. That because I was too busy goofing around, you ended up in his evil old clutches,” the boy shivered, pulling tighter onto Wirt’s shirt. “I kept chasing him and he brought me into a clearing. You were in…in a coffin made of glass and I couldn’t break you out! I kept trying, but I couldn’t do it and The Beast laughed, saying that you belonged to him.”

Greg wrapped his arms tighter around Wirt as a round of fresh tears fell from his face. Wirt jumped when he felt something wet hit his cheek. Was he crying to? He touched the tear drop, wincing slightly as more tears dripped down his cheeks. “Greg,” he tried to keep his voice calm; he had to be the grown up here. “The Beast is just trying to scare you. He’s not going to get me. He won’t hurt you and if he tries, I’ll stop him.”

Greg just looked up at him with bleary eyes. “Why does he want you? Why can’t he just leave us alone and go find himself a tree wife or something?”

He didn’t know why, but the image of The Beast being married to a tree made him start to laugh. The thought was so incredibly ridiculous that he couldn’t help it. He ran a hand through Greg’s hair, ruffling the dark blonde locks. “I don’t know really, Greg. Wouldn’t it just be easier for him to marry a tree?”

If The Beast was somehow listening, he didn’t care. He wanted the demon to know what he thought of him! He hadn’t laughed like this in a while and he was glad that it brought a smile and eventually a giggle from Greg.

Maybe things would be okay. He just couldn’t know for sure right now.

~

“Are you sure you’ve got the right one?

“Relax Beasty,” Bill gave a laugh, waving the wine glass in his small black hand. “Of course this is the right one. How many cursed wine glasses are there in this world? Hahahaha!”

In his natural form, The Beast could narrow his eyes in irritation at the triangle. “Keep making jokes and those children will gather the items before we do. They already have one.”

“Yeah, one,” Bill squinted his eye, the glass dangling precariously in his fingers. “Like Pine Tree knows what to do with Grim’s End key. It’s hilarious he didn’t know it was the vessel of wrath until now!”

The Beast only sighed. “As hilarious as I find this,” which he didn’t; he could only put up with Bill’s antics for so long. “We’re wasting time standing around and laughing over the enemy. Have you pinpointed another object?”

“You really need to relax,” Bill snorted. “I’ve got my friends working right now; searching around, asking in old favors. With the Conchita’s glass here, we can resurrect old friends of ours.”

From the flicker of interest that crossed The Beast’s eyes, Bill’s eyes flashed gold for a split second. All around them, the pawn shop store was a mess. When they first arrived, they behaved like perfect gentlemen just looking around. The two employees at the shop, two college students who clearly didn’t want their jobs and were rather rude, were soon taken care of. Of course, they had dealt with them quickly by the time they found what they wanted.

The boy was on the ground, twitching on the ground as nightmares plagued his mind. Bill had always been proud of his sadistic side; humans were just so fun to mess with, after all. Pathetic and so very easily expendable. Hell, they spent most of their time reproducing anyway. He gave the boy an hour at best to live, before he could handle the nightmares no more and killed himself. He would love to stick around and watch, but he and his friend had more important things to do.

The girl, on the other hand, was slowly morphing into an Edelwood tree. From her mouth and eyes, black oil oozed like puss from a wound. The Beast was standing over her, singing in his low voice was the roots began to wrap around her, her cries of helplessness and despair silence by thick tree branches. It would very much look odd to see a tree growing in the shop, but Bill had the impression that this was just for show. Who knew The Beast could be so theatrical?

“Is this all for Lover Boy?” he asked in a taunting tone. “Honestly, I don’t know what you find so interesting about him. Besides his silly bloodline.”

The Beast only paused from his singing, shooting the triangular demon a cold stare. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” the tree demon scoffed. “Besides, your little _Pine Tree_ isn’t that special. It’s because of him your attempt at taking over the world failed three years ago.”

Bill just narrowed his eye. “Touché, Beasty. I guess we just find the two of them so _interesting,_ ” the demon snickered and The Beast rolled his eyes. “Besides, we’ll let them keep the key for now. We have the glass, and it won’t be too long before our friends have information.”

“One of the items is in The Unknown,” The Beast spoke in a smooth, deep tone. “I’m assuming they’ll send Lover Boy to go get it eventually. That should be interesting.”

“What? Are you going to trap him there?”

The Beast only gazed off into the distance. “Who knows; we’ll just have to find out, won’t we?” he chuckled, and if Bill’s natural form had human lips, he would be smirking. The Beast then stood up straight, branches almost knocking over several more times in the store. “We have wasted enough time in here. We have meeting with a coven of witches.”

Bill sighed dramatically. “Witches? Seriously? They’re so fussy and demanding!”

The Beast just fixed him a stare. “Not these witches. These witches have sworn their allegiance to me. They have followed me for a very, very long time.”

“Gee. Isn’t that fantastic.”

“Do you want more help finding the items?” he asked, and when Bill nodded slightly, he continued on. “Then follow me. There is much work to be done.”

~

**(June 24, Gravity Falls Oregon, Wirt’s house)**

“Gonna put some milk in my cereal this morning, so I can grow big and strong like Wirt! He is the world’s most adequate brother, and even though I don’t know what that word means, he’s adequate! Adequate! My big brother is adequate!”

“Greg, do you even know what that word means?”

Greg paused in the middle of his song, turning his wide dark eyes to look Wirt. Currently, he was pouring milk into his ginormous amount of cereal and singing a song that sounded vaguely like the Adelaide parade song. “No,” the boy responded, shrugging his small shoulders. “But it’s a good thing, right?”

“It’s, oh, never mind,” Wirt shook his head, not stopping the smile from growing as he took a bit of his Sweetie pebbles. After yesterday’s consistent rain, it was nice to see the sun shining against the windows, letting the warm light into the room. His parents had already left for the café and he was at home, eating his cereal and looking after his brother and sister. “So, what do you want to do today?”

“Hmmm,” Greg paused from eating his cereal, tapping his finger against his chin thoughtfully. Milk dripped down the spoon and onto the table, reminding Wirt faintly of the time he had a bloody nose in school. He didn’t know it at first, but then he noticed the drops of red on the white paper. Then it all came gushing out and class had to be interrupted just to clean it up. It had been especially embarrassing since Sara had been in that class.

Greg continued to muse before jumping onto the chair. “Let’s make grass angels!”

“Grass angels?”

“Grass angels!” Greg cheered and from her swing, Yin Wei let out a baby gurgle. Wirt glanced at her quickly and shook his head.

“How exactly do Grass angels work, Greg?”

“It’s easy!” the young boy explained cheerfully, looking a lot better than he did yesterday. “Eat up, young man, and I’ll show you!”

He only gave his brother a mock salute, putting another spoonful of cereal in his mouth and watched in concealed amusement as Greg shoveled in his cereal as quickly as he could. After they were done eating and Wirt let the cereal bowls soak in the sink, he scooped Yin Wei out of her swing and put her in her carrier before heading outside with Greg.

At first, he watched as Greg rolled around in the grass, spreading his arms and legs out as if he were making a snow angel. Just watching the boy laugh and smile made his anxiety drop a little bit more. It was better than yesterday; the boy had been so quiet and withdrawn that it made him feel sick inside. He never wanted to see Greg like that again. Greg was supposed to be cheerful and outgoing; not sad and withdrawn.

“Come on, Wirt!” Greg called out, jumping up to wave at him. “Join me!”

So he did. He joined Greg in the silly activity that only he could think of. He knew his mother and Dave would find it odd that there were Grass Angels in their front yard, but he doubted they would care all too much. He laughed along with his brother, keeping an eye on the baby gurgling away in her carrier and tried to forget all the thoughts that were running around chaotically in his mind.

Of course, it didn’t last long. Eventually he sent Greg off to get out of his grass stained clothes and brought their sister back inside. They played with her for a little while before settling her down for a nap. They decided to spend of the rest of the day watching Duck-tective, which Wirt found was weird, yet slightly endearing for some reason.

“We’re home!” Dave called out as he and their mother opened the door. “Hey boys, are you here!”

“Dad!”

Dave grinned, leaning down to scoop Greg up into his arms, tossing the short boy into the air. Wirt watched from the living room archway, watching the scene and trying to remain hidden in the background. He was glad for Greg; he truly was. He was lucky he had a father who actually wanted children.

He felt his mother ruffle his hair and grinned, giving her a quick hug. He was taller than her now and while she was at average height, his chin was up to her forehead. She was so small compared to him now, it was almost a little weird. Dave now had Greg on his shoulders, the boy waving at Wirt. “I’m taller than you now!” the boy stated, almost a little smugly. “Now I’m the big brother!”

“I don’t think so,” Wirt shook his head, laughing as Dave removed the small boy from him. “Now who’s the little brother?”

“Aw beans!” Greg huffed, hands on his hips. “Ain’t that just the way?”

“You’re still a big brother, Greg,” their mother reassured him. “You’re Yin Wei’s big brother.”

“Oh yeah!”

Dave smiled and motioned his head to Greg. “Come on buddy, let’s go make dinner. How about we get the grill out tonight and have hot dogs?”

“Yeah!”

The usually cheerful man led his son into the kitchen, leaving just Wirt and his mother standing in the entry way. The amused look on his mother’s face fell slightly when she turned to her oldest son, taking a key out from her pocket. “Come down stairs,” she motioned for him to follow her. “I want to show you something.”

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

They walked down the stairs to the basement, his mother flicking on the light switch as they stepped down the old steps to the downstairs. The basement was rather spacious, he would admit that, but he had never really ventured down there. A large trunk was on the table, and he knew it belonged to his mother due to the Chinese engravings. She stepped towards it, putting the key in the lock and opening it.

He peered inside, noting and swallowing nervously at several weapons. Some of them looked very old and would probably sell for a lot of money, but his mother mainly ignored those. She pulled them out, setting them aside on the table and pulled out several flat objects that were tightly bound together. Chinese characters were engraved on them, and while he could pick out a few of them, there were some he did not recognize. “What are those?” he asked, fingers ghosting over the texture. He pulled back immediately, eyes widening. “Are those…bones?”

“Not human bones, I assure you,” she quickly amended. “These are mostly ox shoulder blades and I think one is a tortoise shell. These are the Oracle bones. They hold the secrets of our family and what we’ve witnessed over the years. It’s where the seven vessels of sin have been listed as well as many other things that are to be kept away from demons.”

“Okay,” he eyed the bones nervously. “And why do we have them?”

She leaned against the table, crossing her arms as she looked at the trunk. “I guess it was a way of keeping record. Of course, now you’ll find journals written in Chinese since it’s more efficient now, but our ancestors used the bones because it was the quickest way to get it written down. “

He looked into the lid of the trunk, looking at an old photograph that dated back to 1985. It was a smiling family, with a mother and father along with a little girl in a white summer dress and sunhat. “Is that you and your parents?” he asked, studying the picture carefully.

“Yes,” her hand traced the picture, an unrecognizable emotion flickering in her eyes. “That was the last picture we took together as a family.”

“What happened?”

She sighed, removing her hand from the picture. “Sit down,” she ordered gently and he took a seat on the floor. She sat down across from him, sitting Indian style on the concrete flooring. “I’m going to tell you the story on how I Awakened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwhaha cliff hanger! The next chapter will mostly be a flash back, just so you're prepared!


	7. The Beautiful Cruel World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt learns of his mother's past and Bill and The Beast meet up with some witches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this chapter is a flashback, so I hope you enjoy! I was very much inspired by Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jeager from Shingeki no Kyojin. It's a great show and manga! Hope you enjoy this chapter and keep making connections! The Beast will eventually have his own flashback and such; he's so fun to write!

_In a dangerous and crazy world; so cruel and beautiful,_

_Underneath an unforgiving sky,_

_Why am I the one that's still alive?_

_With nothing left to lose; nowhere left to go,_

_How will I know?_

_Someone tell me what I'm fighting for,_

_I don't seem to know the reason anymore_

_~Beautiful Cruel world by Yoko Hikasa~_

_*With English lyrics by Sapphire*_

**(Detroit, Michigan, 1985)**

America was so different from China.

Besides the fact that she didn’t understand a whole lot of English, Xiāng Líng was rather excited to live in the country. She had traveled to the country before; she’d been born here after all, but she had never stayed in the place for an extended time. The last time she’d traveled to the United States was when she was five years old and that was only to meet one of her Daddy’s collage friends, a very intelligent man named Stanford Pines.

Of course, she didn’t remember a whole lot of it. It was four years ago and she had just recently turned nine years old. Her parents didn’t say exactly why they were moving to a new country, although her mother did mutter something about her father losing his business and decided that moving back to his home country would be a better idea. Her mother, with her lips pressed together in a thin line, agreed. Though she could see that her mother did not want to leave Beijing. Not at all.

“Xiāng Líng,” she could hear her mother’s voice in the doorway of her new room. “Come away from the window!”

She was currently gazing out the window of her new home, looking out at the early September streets. The leaves were beginning to turn, and for a moment, she was reminded of the maple tree that stood in the front yard of her old home. Would anyone be there to rake the leaves this year? Would anyone buy their home? She frowned slightly, imagining her old home dirty and unkempt; with no one to take care of it.

“Xiāng Líng, are you listening to me?” her mother asked again, hands on her hips as she sighed. “Honestly, I sometimes don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“Sorry,” she muttered and stepped away from the window, staring into her mother’s calm, dark eyes. “What do you need help with?”

“Come help me put away some silverware,” with a sigh, she followed her mother out of her new room, trying not to sound too dismayed at having to do something so mundane as putting things away. She would rather sort her room out, but her mother told her that that could wait till everything else was done.

“Where’s Bàba?” she asked, taking several silver forks and setting them where her mother pointed. “Shouldn’t he be here helping since he’s the one who made us move?”

“You’re a smart girl,” she noted the look in her mother’s eyes and winced. Her mother was upset with her father for having them move and then not helping so much with the housekeeping. They didn’t think she’d notice, but she did. The two hadn’t spoken to each other for days. “Xiāng Líng,” her mother began after a moment of silence. “When you’re older, you find yourself a good man. Don’t put yourself in a situation that only you can get out of.”

“Huh?” she asked, blinking naively at her mother. “Do you not love Bàba?”

“Oh, of course I do,” her mother shook her head, bopping her lightly with a spoon. “Why would you ask such a silly thing?”

“You haven’t been speaking to each other. Does that mean you don’t love him anymore?”

Her mother’s dark eyes met her own. “You’re an observant girl; much too observant,” the woman sighed sadly. “I love your father; don’t doubt that for a second. But just because we love each other doesn’t mean we can’t be upset with each other. Do you understand?”

“I think so,” she replied, but that was a lie. She didn’t really understand it at all, but since she wanted her mother to smile and not look so tired, she would pretend she did. ”Don’t worry, Mama, I’ll find a good man to marry.”

“That’s my girl.”

_Ding dong…_

Her mother cocked her head, a thin eyebrow raised. “Who could that be?” she pondered out loud before waving her hand in the direction of the door. “Go see who it is.”

“Okay.”

She hurried over to the front door, opening it to reveal a boy an inch or so shorter than herself and holding a covered dish in his hands. His wide, round eyes were a hazel color, something she didn’t see very often and his hair was a dark blonde. He was a little round, but her mother had told her before that some people had more baby fat than others and usually was outgrown by the time they were teens. Actually, now that she looked at him, he looked kind of…cute.

She blushed pink, opening the door a bit wider. She opened her mouth to greet him, but stopped halfway. She knew the English word for greeting, right? As she paused, she bit her lip nervously and glanced shyly at the boy, who only smiled back at her with a kind gesture. “Hi there,” the boy greeted, holding the plate carefully. “My Mom made this casserole for you. My name’s Dave.”

“Xiāng Líng,” she replied quickly, fully relieved he didn’t laugh at her accent. At the airport, she tried to talk to two other girls her age, but they giggled and walked away, glancing at her as they did. Never before had she been so mortified, but she didn’t understand why. What was wrong with the way she spoke?

“You have really pretty eyes,” the boy, Dave, spoke again and she blushed harder at the compliment. “Say, what grade are you in?”

At least she could somewhat understand what he was saying. “F…Fourth,” she stuttered a little. “I have Mrs. Adams as a teacher.”

“Cool!” his eyes only grew wider and if possible, the grin grew wider as well. “We can be friends! I can show you everything in the classroom and where the best places to play on the playground, and-“

“David!” she looked over the boy’s shoulder to see a woman, most likely his mother, waving to him from the porch step. “Let our neighbors rest a little! You can see if she wants to play tomorrow!”

“Aw beans,” Dave huffed, before thrusting the plate into her arms. “Well, see you tomorrow!”

He dashed off across the street, where his mother waved at her with a kind smile. She waved back tentatively before shutting the door, heading back into the kitchen where her mother was waiting. “Who was that?” the woman asked, taking the plate from her hands.

“His name was Dave,” she replied, the blush still on her cheeks. “He’s our neighbor. His Mama made us a casserole.”

“That was nice,” her mother smiled, setting the food in the fridge. “How very thoughtful. We must repay them sometime soon. Why are you blushing? Was the boy cute?”

If anything, her blush darkened. “N…no!”

“Ooh, Xiāng Líng has a crush!”

“I do not!”

~

The next two months went by so quickly; that she didn’t even notice at first how much time had actually passed.

The first day of school had been frightening and as she walked out the door, she thought about running back inside and hiding in her room until she felt a hand takes hers. Dave stood next to her, pulling her along and doing most of the talking on their walk to school. He was a nice boy, she noted very quickly. Cheerful and very easy going. He had come over the day after delivering the casserole, his mother helping hers as the two of them played in the backyard.

He didn’t seem to mind that her English wasn’t very good. At least, he never commented about it anyway. He never did anything that was needlessly cruel or mean; he liked to see the good in everything. However, she did notice that he was an easy target for bullying. With his kind heart and cheerful optimism, he sometimes failed to realize the other boys in the class were picking on him and usually another student had to intervene.

It was odd, but he didn’t seem to mind it. He continued to go on with his life, ignoring the jerks and bad things in the world and for the most part, she did as well. Every time she found herself observing things, she would quickly pull out of it and pretend everything was fine. After all, her father had told her that nothing good came out of being too observant and that she better stop it before she turned into someone she didn’t want to be.

Of course, everything changed that fateful day. November 5, 1985, the day that her life changed forever.

“Mom, why do I have this tattoo?”

Her English had improved considerably thanks to Dave’s and the other teacher’s help. She could speak a lot more easily to the other students and had made new several friends, but she enjoyed playing and hanging out with Dave the most. Her mother had laughed and mentioned something about her having a crush, but her father only waved it off, muttering about how his little girl was too young to be looking at boys.

He was out of town today on a work trip, so for the next few days, it would just be she and her mother alone in the house. It was raining today; a cold rain that chilled her to the bone and carried the promise of snow. Right now, they were sitting in the living room, her mother crocheting and she doing her homework. Well, she had been doing her homework when a question popped into her mind. Her mother looked up from her needlework, looking at her extended right arm.

“You should really be asking your father,” her mother leaned back in her spot on the couch. “He could probably explain it better.”

“Why can’t you?”

She saw her mother’s eye twitch slightly and for a moment, she feared that she made her cross, but her mother only set her needlework down and took her arm. “The Liang’s have given their children the symbol of their family for a very long time,” the woman released her arm, her feather light touch soon gone. “You’ll understand more when you’re older, but one day, when you have children of your own, you’ll pass it down to them.”

“When I have kids?”

“Oh no,” her mother made a face. “We are not having this conversation.”

“What conversation?”

Her mother was saved by a knocking sound on the door, her lips frowning. “They didn’t use the doorbell?” she wondered out loud. “Maybe it’s broken. Oh well.”

She stood up, walking over to the front door and she leaned back on her arms, wondering as well who it could be. Her mother opened the door, a friendly smile on her face. “Hello sir, what can I-“

In that single moment, her life changed forever.

A sound she had never heard before echoed in her ears. Her eyes widened and her stomach churned violently as she watched her mother stagger back, pale hands trembling as she felt the knife embedded into her stomach. A man stepped into the house, quickly grabbing the knife and releasing it. Blood erupted from her mother’s stomach, splattering onto the walls and furniture. A few flecks landed on her face as she stood in the living room in shock.

“Aw shit,” the man exclaimed somewhat loudly. “I didn’t know there was a kid here!”

“Hurry up and kill her,” another voice began, though there was no one else in the room. She noted the walkie talkie attached to his belt and quickly realized this was an operation. “Do it before the shock wears off and she starts screaming.”

“No way, man,” the man shook his head. “I can’t kill a kid!”

“Then knock her out! We can at least sell her. Is she cute?”

“Yeah, for a nine year old brat,” the man grumbled, stepping towards her with his arm rose. “She’s got real pretty eyes. At least, as pretty as slant eyed women go.”

“Just keep her quiet till we get to the brat’s place. When we leave, we’ll decide further on what to do with her.”

Everything was dark after that.

When she awoke, she found herself bound on the living room floor, hands behind her back. Her head hurt and she wanted to call out for her mother when she remembered. Lying across the hallway, her mother’s body lay precariously on the floor, dark eyes now lifeless and cold. This…this couldn’t be real, could it? This had to be a dream. Any moment now, she would wake up and everything would be fine.

 _“It’s cold in here,”_ she found herself thinking, though why, she didn’t know. _“I’m cold.”_

“You sure caused a lot of trouble, brat,” the man glared at her, as if it were her fault all this had happened. “I hope you’ll go for a lot of money for the trouble you’ve caused.”

She only stared back at him blankly, mouth too dry to say anything. What was wrong with her? Why wasn’t she calling for help? Why did she feel so lost and disoriented? Was this it? Was everything all over?

_Ding dong…_

“Shit,” the man grumbled, standing up and kicked her once for good measure. “You better keep quiet or I’ll do worse to ya.”

The doorbell kept ringing and then, it stopped. At first, she thought whoever it was had gone and then she heard the creaks of the door opening. “Hello?” her eyes widened at the sound of Dave’s voice. “Hello? What the…”

“BRAT!” the man screamed, lunging for Dave and pulling him into the house. “WHER ETHE HELL DID YOU COME FROM? I’VE ALREADY GOT MYSELF IN A MESS; I DON’T NEED TO ADD YOU IN IT!”

Dave, though how he did it she didn’t know, managed to wiggle his way out of the man’s arms. The man chased him around the house, the boy surprisingly fast and nimble. Once, the man slipped in the puddle of her mother’s blood and that allowed Dave more time to flee. He vanished into the kitchen and the man followed soon after. She feared he would kill Dave, but what could she do? Her binds were so tight.

A ringing sound followed by a pained “Oomph!” quickly resounded from the kitchen. Dave hurried back in with a knife, helping her onto her knees and cutting the binds away. “Are you okay?” he asked, and she could see the fear and worry in his eyes. “What’s going on? Who is this man?”

“Dave, behind you!”

Her voice felt so hoarse and she wasn’t sure that her friend had heard her, but he did. He turned around; only too late to realize the man was standing right behind him. A bruise had formed above his left eye and he glared murderously at the boy. “You little brat…” Dave tried to scramble away, but the man grabbed him by his neck, both hands wrapped around it. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!”

“Xiāng Líng…help…” Dave croaked out, hands wrapped around the man’s stronger ones. “Run…get…help…”

She should have run; getting an adult would have probably been the normal thing to do, but she grabbed the knife instead. She was trembling and shaking all over, the weight of the situation finally hitting her. Dave was going to die. She was going to die, the two of them ending up like her mother; tossed aside and left to rot in a hallway. But what could she do? She had to save Dave; she couldn’t let him die!

Then all of a sudden, she remembered. She’d seen it all before, many, many times. Since the day she was born…

She could recall as a younger girl the dog that had been hit by a car on the streets while she was playing in the yard. The animal was walking down the street when the car flew by, the dog letting out one final cry of pain before it lay lifeless on the ground. It had happened so fast that she could only watch, finding the situation so morbid and fascinating that she buried it away when her mother pulled her inside. She could recall the day when her father came home and told her mother in a hushed tone that their business was a failure; that he lost his company. They didn’t think she had heard, but she did. Then there was Dave, who ignored the bullies the best he could, but they always came back. Ready to push him around and at times, beat him up till he was scuffed up and almost crying

It’d been all around her, forever! But, she always chose to look the other way. She realized, as she held the knife in shaking hands, that the world was a cruel place. And it was home.

All of a sudden, her body wasn’t shaking anymore. She felt the fear and sadness disappear, as cold anger and rage took control. She had complete control of her body. Focused; ready. All of a sudden, she could do anything.

The knife felt tighter in her hands she felt the floorboards creak as her feet put pressure on them. She dashed forward, letting out a howling scream. The rest she couldn’t remember. All she could think about was protecting her friend and making sure he was alright. Her scream, as she found out later on, alerted the neighbors and the authorities were called. Dave’s mother fussed over him, crying as she looked at the bruises on his neck.

As she stood there in the rain, everything hit her all at once. Her mother was dead. Dave had almost died; and as for herself, well, she didn’t really know. The police had questioned her; the paramedics had declared that besides the bruise on her forehead where the man had hit her, she was alright. If she hadn’t…well, if she hadn’t killed the man, Dave’s injuries would have been worse. No, Dave would have been _dead._

“Your father is on his way home,” one police officer told her kindly, patting her shoulder. “He should be here in the morning.”

“Where do I go?” she asked, after a long time of staying silent. “If Daddy’s not getting here till tomorrow…” she wrapped the coat tighter around herself. “I’m cold, and tired.”

She had been so focused on staring at the ground when she felt Dave take her hand. He then embraced her warmly, the blanket wrapped around him warm against her cold skin. “You can stay with me,” he smiled, completely ignoring the ugly bruises on his neck. “I’ll look after you; so you don’t have to worry. You’ll be safe with me.”

He wrapped the blanket around her and everything broke lose. Tears poured down her cheeks and before long, sobs wracked her body. Dave didn’t let go of her, even when an officer tried to pry him off of her. Even as they were transported to the hospital to stay overnight, he never left her side. She remained in his arms and if he felt uncomfortable by her tears, he didn’t show it. He just held her and stroked her hair.

The funeral was held a week later; a lot of people she didn’t know attending. They all looked at her with pity and for some reason, she felt embarrassed by it. A couple people stared at her with discomfort, muttering to each other that she had killed a man; that a nine year old had the sudden coordination and strength to stab a man in the heart from behind. With all the gossip and whispers, she felt like she would pass out, but then Dave took her hand and suddenly, she felt things would be okay.

Her father had explained to her about their history; that they were to protect humanity from demons. It didn’t make sense to her, but she went along with it, finding that there were a lot of strange things in the world that could not be explained. She eventually returned to school and while people avoided her, she found she didn’t care. She, for a long period of time, just stopped caring. Except, when it came to Dave.

Yes, the world was cruel; she had come to realize that. But when Dave would speak or hold her hand, she remembered his kindness. She still had the blanket he’d given her and when she felt too sad, she would cuddle with it. The world was a cruel and merciless place.

Yet with kind and good people, it was also very beautiful.

~

**(Present time, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

For a long time, Wirt had no idea as to what to say.

They continued to sit on the ground, his mother staring off at the dark painted wall and her hands placed in her lap, wringing them together awkwardly. He sat looking at his knees, his hands wringing themselves together as well. What was there to say? How could he not have known? It made sense she didn’t want to talk about; how would he feel if he had been in the same situation?

“Mom,” he started after another long stretch of silence. “I…I’m so sorry.”

“Thirty years seems like that would be enough time to move on,” she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. “But I still wake up with nightmares sometimes.”

“What about the guy’s accomplices?” he asked, wondering why she hadn’t mentioned what happened to them. “And why did you marry my dad instead of Dave?”

“They were caught not long after Dave and I were escorted to the hospital,” she explained tiredly, taking his hand into hers. “I honestly don’t really remember or care to know what happened to them; I think they’re serving life in prison, but it doesn’t matter now. And if I hadn’t married your father, I wouldn’t have had you!”

“But you’re happier with Dave,” he found himself grumbling, though he didn’t know why this bothered him. He rarely saw his parents happy together as a child; they argued most of the time. With Dave, there were times he caught them doing things couples did, like cuddle on the couch and other things that made his throat tighten in awkwardness. “You met Dad in college, right?”

“Yes,” she explained, lifting her head off his shoulder to look him in the eye. “And before you even start thinking it, I don’t regret marrying your father. At one time, I did love him, but we were just not meant to be together. After graduation, Dave and I fell out of contact; it happens, but we found each other again. I don’t regret having you, or loving your father, or marrying Dave. They’re all parts of my life I wouldn’t change.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“No,” she kissed his forehead softly. “Life’s too short to be spent time regretting our actions. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I guess,” he sighed, rubbing the imprint of the kiss off his forehead. “But Dad’s still an ass.”

“Oh we can agree on that,” she laughed for the first time in a while, placing her hands on her knees and standing up. “But he wasn’t always bad. There was a time he was actually a sweet and charming man.”

“Doubt it,” he snorted and she smiled sadly, shaking her head.

“Well, dinner’s probably ready now. We don’t want Greg to eat all the hamburgers now, do we?”

“No!”

She helped him up; his legs feeling like pins and needles as they headed up the stairs and into the kitchen. Greg was busy putting endless amounts of pickles and ketchup on his burger, but Wirt could see the mess he was actually making. Dave was putting his own burger together, humming some eighties song while Greg randomly started singing about potatoes and molasses.

“Greg, you’re getting ketchup on the wall!”

His mother hurried over to stop the small boy, scolding him lightly on making unnecessary messes, but the boy only grinned at her. “I was making you dinner!” the boy’s smile only grew larger. “See? I put a heart and a smiley face on the burger with ketchup!”

She couldn’t stay upset for long; no one could when Greg started being cute. She ruffled his head, choosing to ignore the mess for now and instead listen to Greg as he explained his day to her. Wirt only smiled at the scene softly, turning to Dave. “Hey Dave?” he asked tentatively

Dave looked up from his dinner, cocking his head. “Yeah?”

“Thanks,” he lowered his voice, glancing over at his mother. “For, uh, saving her years ago?”

Dave’s mouth opened in surprise, eyes widening in realization for a moment as Wirt stared at him with even eyes. Then his mouth closed and his hazel looked towards his wife, smiling wanly. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” was all he said and he returned to putting more onions on his hamburger.

He had new respect for his step-father now, imagining how it felt to be in that house. Knowing the reason why he’d never met his Grandmother was all too upsetting; and he could feel the regret again. He should have been a better person to his mother and stopped being so hard on Dave. His step-father had done more for his mother than his own father did. He couldn’t do anything about the past, though, but he could do better now.

So he stood next to his step-father and did something he didn’t typically do. He asked him how his day was and to his surprise, the older man answered back with a smile that reminded him so much of Greg.

Of course, knowing all this didn’t quell his anxiety. The Beast was still out there; looking for the rest of the items and possibly getting closer to his goals.

~

**(Somewhere in Oregon, June 24, sometime in the evening)**

“So this is where witches live?”

The Beast ignored the skeptic tone of Bill’s high pitched voice, and looked inside the cave. To any outsider, it was just a regular cave in the forest surrounded by thick and looming pine trees. Of course, if one looked in the right places, they would see markings and symbols engraved into the stone and rock. “Just follow and be quiet,” The Beast warned and stepped into the cave, practically becoming one with the darkness. “It’s been a long while since I’ve spoken to them.”

Bill followed along, illuminating the darkness with his glowing body. The darkness didn’t last as long; and when they were further along in the cave, torches lit the walls. A cloaked figure stepped out from the opposite way, heading towards him. They paused, and the figure removed the hood from their head, revealing a teenage girl with braided black hair. “It’s good to see you, Master,” she bowed lowly. “We’ve been expecting you for a long time.”

“Thank you, Ruby,” The Beast greeted coolly and nodded his darkened head towards the girl. “Four hundred years has done well for you.”

“Thank you, sir,” she beamed and turned her back to them. In a cheerful tone, she put her hood back on and spoke. “Follow me; Lady Salome has been expecting you.”

The two of them followed the fourteen year old immortal witch, Bill commenting at the girl. “That’s some skin care product you must be using, granny! I can’t believe you witches live in a cave! Is this the dark ages all over again? Scared those religious officials will hunt you down and burn you?”

The girl flinched slightly at the mention of being burned and The Beast only gave the triangle a look. If the witch was angered by what Bill said, she didn’t show it and remained silent for the rest of the walk to the leader of the coven. It had been a very long time since he had visited his followers; four hundred years had been a long time. The original leader, an older witch named Adelaide, had almost been successful in bringing him back, but he could not part with the lantern. At least, not at the time and Adelaide had ended up in The Unknown with him, as well as her sister and her sister’s ward.

A large cavern in the cave was where Ruby led them, where more witches in dark cloaks clung towards the edge of the walls, staring at him with concealed faces. Towards the back of the cave, on a throne made from skulls, a woman in a dark green cloak rose from her throne. “My lord,” she bowed, removing the hood from her own head. “It is so good to see you again. The coven of the dark lantern has been waiting over four hundred years for your return.”

“Salome,” The Beast only stared at her as she rose from her bow. “I require the help of the coven.”

“You only need to ask and we shall do as you say,” the lead witch kept her face respectful, her ice blue eyes respectfully not meeting his. “We exist to serve you and we will always do what you ask.”

“Your mother, Adelaide, is dead,” The Beast wasn’t exactly too sad about that fact; she had been useful for a while, but after ending up in The Unknown with him, she had outlived it. Her daughter, on the other hand, had proved to be more useful. Keeping in the shadows; making sure The Unknown remained a mystery to the rest of the humans.

“I am aware,” Salome replied, not sounding too upset about it. “What can we help you with?”

“We are after the Seven Vessels of Sin,” Bill cut in, ignoring the hostile glares the witches sent him. “Surely you old hags know where some of them are?”

“Bill Cipher,” Salome sniffed disdainfully. “So it looks like Arachne released you from the Nightmare realm. What a pity.”

“We have already allied with other demons; Queen Titania of the fae has agreed to help us as well,” The Beast narrowed his glowing eyes in warning at Bill. “The nightmare realm still needs to be reopened, but gathering the seven times, Bill can wish for it to be opened again. Then I will ask for mine and the rest of our plans can be fulfilled.”

If anything, Salome’s eyes widened and a smile graced her lips. “So it’s true, you have freed yourself from the lantern!” she sounded giddy, moving a strand of loose pale blonde hair from her face. “How did you do it, my lord?”

“When the Woodsman blew out the lantern, he freed me. The old fool didn’t know it until it was too late and to be fair, I didn’t know it as well. I assumed that when he blew it out, it would be the end of me. But it wasn’t. The bindings that Wu placed had been weak for some time now and when the lantern was blown out, my soul was freed. It was amusing to see the boy’s face when he saw me again.”

Salome raised an eyebrow. “The boy?”

“The boy he’s fallen in love with,” Bill taunted, snickering. “And to top it off, he’s Wu’s great, great, grandson! Isn’t it IRONIC?”

Salome just rolled her eyes at the triangle demon and fixed The Beast with a confused look. “So you no longer need Edelwood to survive?”

“No,” The Beast shook his head. “But I can still turn people into Edelwood. I can hardly wait to turn the boy’s mother into a tree.”

Salome grinned cruelly. “And what do you plan to do with the boy?”

“That, I believe, is none of your concern,” his voice had a bit of an edge to it and Salome wisely bowed her head in apology. “But, as to why we are here, I must ask you this. You wouldn’t happen to know where one of the items is, now would you?”

Salome grinned slyly, hands placed on her hips. “As a matter of fact, I do. The Sleeping doll was in my possession for a number of years. Of course I removed it a few years ago.”

“What, did you lose it?” Bill sneered.

“Of course not!” she snapped at him angrily before taking a deep breath and smiling towards The Beast. “I gave it to my daughter shortly before I left her and her father. If it helps, they live in the same town where your little lover lives.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! You know what to do!


	8. Silver Lining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt and Greg go to the beech. Greg then dreams of The Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Pioneer day was before Summerween, but we're going to pretend it's afterwards. Just for this story! This chapter isn't too long; I made no promises on the chapter lengths. Now that class has started again, I'm busy sadly. I'll probably update on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or the weekend. I love college, but it can get super busy. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Oh, and I'm thinking of doing another Oneshot like I did for When light met dark! It might be a mix of orphanage AU with element bending; I don't know. Tell me what element you think would work best for our four main characters!

_I won't let you drown,_

_When the water's tumblin' in_

_I'll keep climbin'_

_I'll keep climbin'_

_The rain's gonna follow you wherever you go,_

_The skies go black and the thunder roles,_

_And I see lightening, see lightening,_

_When the world surrounds you,_

_I'll make it go away,_

_~Silver lining by the Hurts~_

**(June 27, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“The pool today! The pool today! We’re going to the swimming pool today! The pool today! The pool today! We’re going to the swimming pool today!”

Wirt had to smile at his brother’s enthusiasm, holding on tightly to their duffle bag of clothes, towels, and sunscreen. His sunglasses were perched on his head, glistening in the afternoon sunlight. His parents had been thrilled when he asked if he could take Greg to the community pool since it was getting hotter out. All around town, posters for Pioneer day were everywhere; the sleepy town abuzz with preparations and excitement.

Wirt and Stan Pines had the same opinion. It was kind of silly to be excited over a day for dressing up, but when he noticed Greg’s eyes light up at the thought of dressing in old timey clothes, well, who was he to dampen his brother’s fun?

“Slow down, Greg,” he took the boy’s hand as they crossed the street. “What’s the rush? The pool’s not going to disappear on us.”

“We have to get there as soon as possible!” Greg chorused, tugging extra hard on Wirt’s hand. “Why are you such a slow poke this morning?”

“’Cause Mom made me jog with her this morning,” he grumbled, remembering her say something about training. “She made me get up early to go jogging with her.”

It wasn’t too horrible; it’s not like he was lazy or anything. It was just that no sane person wanted to get up at five forty-five in the morning just to run around. He wasn’t even very athletic; his arms and legs were like awkward noodles. Their mom said eventually he’d get stronger and it wouldn’t be so difficult, but he just couldn’t believe her.

“Wirt, come on!” Greg practically dragged him towards the pool, eyes shining with wonder as he peered through the fence. “Wow, there sure are a lot of people here today! Look, there’s a kid in pool jail! Ain’t that just the way.”

“Pool jail?” he peered through the fence as well, not believing his younger brother at first. Until he spotted a kid sitting through the bars of the gutter with a sad look on his face. “My stars and garters,” he stared in astonishment, wondering how on earth they got the kid there. “Maybe we shouldn’t go to the pool, Greg.”

“How can you say that?” Greg placed a hand over his big t-shirt, acting as if Wirt said the most horrendous thing in the world. “The pool must be splashed in and I must be the one to do it!”

“Riibbbt.”

“Oh, and you too Jason Funderberker!”

He shook his head, glancing down at the frog they’d hidden in their duffle bag. Their mother had warned them that pets weren’t allowed at the pool; especially frogs, but Greg often had a way of bending the rules. “If no one sees him, then it’s not a problem,” he told Wirt as they put beach towels in the bag. “If no one sees him, then there isn’t a problem!”

He had to shake his head at that, not stopping the smile from forming on his lips. “If you say so,” he pushed the gate door forward, allowing Greg to slip under his arm to get in. “Can frogs even swim in chlorinated water?”

Greg paused, looking towards the duffle bag with a frown. “…Maybe?” he didn’t sound so sure; in fact, he looked rather worried as he kept thinking.

“Then he better stay in here,” Wirt looked to the frog, who for some reason winked at him. “Yeah, I don’t trust a frog swimming in a pool of chemicals. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Maybe he’ll grow super powers!” Greg’s eyes widened and Wirt could only imagine he was thinking of his frog being able to fly or shoot lasers from his eyes like Wonder man. “Do you think that might happen?”

“Maybe,” he humored the kid, ruffling his hair and let him run a head of him a little. The sound of his innocent laughter rang in his ears, and the smile only grew wider before it vanished. He followed his younger brother into the crowded area, stumbling past and nearly tripping on his own two feet into the pool. A tall muscular bald man in a tight red t-shirt and white shorts, staring intently at the residents and narrowed his eyes at Greg, who was skipping along with a beach ball in his hands.

The man blew a whistle, glaring angrily at Greg. “NO SKIPPING! DID YOU NOT READ THE SIGN?” he yelled at Greg, who blinked up at him in surprise as Wirt ran over.

“I’m sorry; I’ll keep an eye on him,” he took Greg by the shoulder and steered him away from the red faced man, sighing in relief when he turned his eyes away. He found a bench and set their stuff down, sitting down and looking Greg in the eye. “Please don’t get us kicked out on our first day here.”

“We won’t get kicked out,” Greg gave him a withering look, hands on his round little hips. “That man is just a cranky grump grump.”

“Yeah, well, you better not let him hear you say that,” he smirked at a little, and grabbed a bottle from the bag. “Alright, shirt off so I can put sunscreen on you.”

“Never!”

“Greg.”

“Okay, fine,” he removed his shirt and kicked his sandals off; spreading is arms out like how an eagle spread its feathers. The white creamy past squirted out in his hands and he rubbed it over Greg’s arms and legs, on his belly and turned the boy around to get his back. Greg was practically squirming, eyeing the water excitedly. “Hurry up, brother o’ mine!”

He smeared some sunblock on his face and patted the boy on the back. “Be free!” he joked lightly and grinned as Greg let out a whoop and jumped into the pool, splashing two teenage girls who were lounging on pool floats nearby. He leaned back in the arm chair, pulling out his new book of poetry and flipped it open, sunglasses over his eyes and he listened to the sound of Greg playing with other kids nearby in the pool.

A warm breeze warmed his skin; the sun beating down against his sun-protected skin. He sighed in contentment, the sounds of the birds chirping loudly and the cars that drove smoothly against the road. People chatted with each other and he smiled at the sound of kids laughing. He would glance up every now and then to spot Greg playing with several kids his own age, who looked at him with awe and admiration for his interesting idea at playing pirates or something. Up above in the Lifeguard seat, an ivory skinned girl with pale blonde hair tied back with her bangs parted to the right and draping over her face.

He had seen her before; he just couldn’t put a name to her face. She looked over the crowd of people at the pool, occasionally glancing at her watch before sighing. She was bored; he could tell that and felt glad that he didn’t have to do this job.

“Wirt!”

He tore his eyes away and they focused on Greg, who was waving towards him from the edge of the pool. “Come on in!” he cheered, his bangs now clinging to his eyes. “The water’s great!”

“Okay, if you say so,” he set his book down, removing his t-shirt and sunglasses before sliding carefully into the pool. He swam over to Greg, grimacing slightly when the boy splashed him. “Greg!” he shook the water from his hair, feigning anger. “Okay, you asked for it!”

“No!!”

He splashed his younger brother, the boy quickly retaliating and jumped on his back, giggling all the while. The lifeguard stared at them, he noticed, and he couldn’t see the expression in her eyes since they were concealed by large sunglasses. If they were in trouble, she didn’t say anything and continued to stare morosely into the distance. He laughed again, not remembering a time when he’d laughed this hard. A few people stared, some casting them annoyed looks, but he found he didn’t care.

“Wirt?” Greg’s voice rang in his ear as the boy stopped splashing him with water. The smile fell from his lips and he stared with wide eyes towards their stuff.

“Yeah?” he replied, following his gaze and felt his own eyes widen as well. Jason Funderberker stood at the edge of the pool, looking at them in disappointment at not being able to play with them. Wirt’s face paled and he nodded his head towards the duffle bag, as if silently telling the frog to get back in it. “Oh no,” he muttered, Greg looking over at the pool supervisor. “Oh no, Greg, stay here. I’ll get him back to our stuff.”

He swam quickly towards the other side of the pool, which was not easy to do with lots of people in the water. He swam furiously, brushing past several people and earning glares and a few annoyed remarks. He pulled himself out of the pool, walking carefully towards the frog. “Don’t move,” he hissed quietly, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. He noticed the grumpy pool supervisor narrow his eyes suspiciously at him and gulped. “Jason Funderberker, I swear to God if you move-“

“You know pets aren’t allowed here.”

He noticed a shadow step beside him and a paranoid side of him thought it was The Beast, even though the voice was too high for it to be him. It was the lifeguard that looked familiar and as she removed her sunglasses, it clicked. “A…Annie!” he flushed slightly at her intense gaze, looking down back at the frog. “I…I can explain!”

“No need,” she stated, crossing her arms. “I’m not going to snitch.”

He stared at her and she sighed in irritation. “I’m not going to snitch; it’s just a frog,” she sighed again, glancing over when the supervisor turned away to look at something else. “Now’s your chance; hide it.”

“It’s a him, actually.”

“I don’t care.”

He picked up the frog, placing him back in the duffle bag and stood in front of it just as the supervisor turned to look at him, eyes glaring at him, though he didn’t know why exactly. He gulped under her intense gaze. “Uh, thanks?” he flushed harder, feeling like he was in trouble for some reason. “Shouldn’t you be on duty?”

“I got a break,” she glanced over to her boss and Wirt noticed that although her eyes were of considerable size and proportion, they held a sullen vibe in them. “I’m not a snitch,” she stated in a bored fashion. “I won’t tell my Dad you snuck you and your brother’s frog in.”

He looked towards the older man and back to the girl, looking between them. “He’s your Dad?” he asked in surprise. They didn’t really look anything alike; his eyes weren’t the bright blue that hers were and were a dark hazel. His skin was tanner and blonde hair darker. They did have a similar Roman nose, though hers wasn’t as prominent. Her low brow that constantly made her look serious was very alike to his and in a swimsuit, she had a muscular build.

“Yeah,” she watched, shaking her head as he yelled at a boy. “He’s been mentally unstable ever since…”

He looked curiously towards her. “Since what?”

“My Mom left,” she replied, frowning in confusion as to why she was saying that. “She left years ago. I bet you would understand that.”

He stepped a little away from her, narrowing his eyes. “Why would you say something like that?”

“You and your brother don’t really look anything alike,” she explained calmly. “And I’ve been to your family café. I’ve seen your step-dad; you don’t look anything at all like him, so I figured your Dad must have left or something.”

He felt uncomfortable at her observation, though he didn’t deny or try to defend himself. “My parents divorced when I was five and my Dad moved to New York City. I haven’t seen him since I was seven and he calls. Sometimes.”

“Ah,” she murmured, staring off into nothing. “My Mom just disappeared one day. Gave me a present and then disappeared. Haven’t heard from her since.”

“Wow,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Why’d she leave?”

“Does it matter?” she asked coldly, and her intense stare felt empty of anything. “She was evil bitch who cared for no one but herself. My Dad loved her more than anything; she was his whole world and she left him, claiming that we were useless and that we were nothing to her. I’m glad she’s gone.”

He wanted to believe that; he understood that statement more than anything. But it wasn’t true. Even if her face held back the anger and hurt, he knew full well she didn’t mean it. How many times as a child did he keep himself up at night, imaging his parents back together and happy. Or every father’s day for the next few years until he was nine, he sent him a father’s day card, expecting a phone call later on, but it never came. Some years he’d get birthday cards, as if his father had suddenly woken up one day and remembered he had a son. He knew one thing for certain. They could be angry all they wanted, but it would never destroy the childish desire that flickered on inside them that one day, their mother or father would come back and everything would be fine.

“Sorry to hear,” he muttered, noticing Greg watching them with an eyebrow raised. “Uh, so, is there anything else you want to say?”

“No,” she uncrossed her arms. “My break’s just about over.”

“Oh.”

He noticed Greg smiling evilly, plotting something before shouting out, “ASK HER OUT!” he called and Wirt’s face turned red. He had no intention of asking Annie out; he barely knew her and quite frankly, she kind of scared him.

She looked towards Greg and back to him. “You’re not my type,” she stated bluntly. “I don’t like guys.”

Oh. _Oh._ “You’re…” he trailed off flinching slightly when her hands clenched together into fists. “You like girls?”

“Is that a problem?” her tone was cold, but he could hear the warning in them.

“No,” he shook his head; and he meant it. He didn’t have a problem. “I don’t really care.”

“I see,” she turned away, walking a few steps away from him as her father called her over. She then paused, and looked over her shoulder. “You’re a nice guy, Wirt. I like you.”

When she was out of earshot, he finally noticed Greg standing next to him. “Did you ask her out?” the boy asked, tugging on his hand. “Did you?”

“No, Greg,” he gave his brother a look. “She doesn’t like boys.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh boy, I’m not going to explain this to you.”

~

_Greg didn’t usually have bad dreams. And this dream didn’t start out bad._

_He’d found this magnificent house made of candy in his dream; Jason Funderberker helped him find it and Wirt was somewhere in the woods calling out his name. He tore a lollipop of the wall, suckling on it enthusiastically as he waited for his brother to find him so they could defeat the witch who lived in it and take the house. Unless of course, she was a nice witch._

_“Hello Gregory.”_

_The Beast appeared in front of him, his darkened form and ugly branches looking very out of place in the awesome front of the candy house. Greg stood bravely before him, hands on his hips. “Leave my brother alone, you nasty tree monster!” he glared, trying not to shake at the roots wrapping around his ankles. They were just roots; they couldn’t hurt him. “You can’t have him! He’s my big brother!”_

_“The same big brother that almost let you turn into a tree?” Greg glared harder at the demon, trying very hard not to show any fear. The Beast only seemed amused, for his eyes bored down on him mockingly. “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself; least of all an annoying child like you?”_

_Greg wasn’t stupid; he knew what the monster was trying to do. Make him start doubting his brother so he could twist his mind and make him loose hope. ”Wirt cares about me more than anything and he came back to get me, so ha!” he stuck his tongue out, figuring that the demon wouldn’t like it. “So you can just leave my brother alone or I’ll give you the old kickerro!”_

_The Beast only laughed, a hand reaching out to stroke his hair. It felt weird; not at all like how his mother or brother would ruffle his hair. This way felt condescending, almost as if he were being laughed at. “You naïve child,” The Beast chuckled lowly. “You have no idea what’s coming, do you?”_

_“I don’t care!” he snapped towards the demon. “Leave my brother alone! I don’t even know why you want him; find a tree bride or something!”_

_The Beast, again, found this funny. “What can you get out a tree?” Greg didn’t understand why this was funny, but he had a feeling Wirt would know. Wirt knew everything. “Your brother is mine. All mine and you won’t be able to save him.”_

_“Yes I will!”_

_The Beast only laughed once more, touching the candy house lightly. At his touch, the house morphed and crumbled to dust at his feet. “You will try, little Liang,” The Beast practically murmured. “It’s in your nature to try, but you will fail.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what kind of name Poolcheck is, but I'm assuming he was bullied in school.


	9. Counting stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper goes over to the Macavin-Palmer household to do reasearch and Ford pinpoints another object.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, but the next one is going to be longer since there's a lot of stuff I want to put in! I took down the Mabel/Mermando tag because I just wasn't feeling it anymore. If some of you don't like short chapters, sorry! I hope you'll be satisfied with the next one! School's in full swing now, so it may be a while before the next update. Who knows for certain, but I hope you're all still interested!

_I see this life like a swinging vine,_

_Swing my heart across the line,_

_In my face is flashing signs,_

_Seek it out and ye shall find,_

_Old, but I'm not that old,_

_Young, but I'm not that bold,_

_I don't think the world is sold,_

_I'm just doing what we're told_

_~Counting Stars by One Republic~_

**(June 28, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

Dipper wasn’t expecting so many unexpected things to happen that Sunday.

It started out normally. Mabel made them pancakes with leftover gummy chairs in them and offered them all Mabel juice, which they politely declined. Well, he and Ford politely declined. Grunkle Stan made it pretty clear what he thought about Mabel juice. He ate his sister’s food, though he wasn’t quite sure if the gummy chairs were necessary, but didn’t say anything. It was Mabel’s day to run the shack, Grunkle Stan taking the girl under his wing to teach her all about running a successful sham.

Ford had disappeared to his lab, for whatever reason that Dipper had learned a long time ago not to question. He texted Wirt that he was on his way, grabbing his trademark hat and taking off out the door. As he ran to the other boy’s house, he recounted what had happened only a few days ago. The last time he saw his new friend was a while ago; he hadn’t really left the house except for yesterday when he took Greg to the pool.

He could understand how Wirt was feeling; he really did. While Bill hadn’t invaded his dreams yet, he knew it would happen eventually. He hadn’t expected another family to have problems with demons and other supernatural creatures. He wondered if there were other families out there with the same problem, but where would he even begin to get into contact with them?

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, not having enough sleep as of late. Bill hadn’t appeared in his dreams, but he could hear his laughter echoing around in his mind. Nightmares of Weirdmaggedon kept flashing through his dreams and he had woken up practically screaming at the image of Mabel being ripped apart by demons. Mable had been the one to wake him up, holding him as he trembled and held onto her like a child.

He stepped up to the door of the Macavin-Palmer household, knocking on the door once. He stood out in the morning sun for a few seconds before Greg opened the door, the boy holding a glass of orange juice in his hands. “Morning Dipper!” the boy greeted in a cheerful tone. “Are you here for Wirt?”

“Yeah,” he smiled back at the boy who reminded him a lot of Mabel. “Is he here? Should I come at a different time?”

“He’s here, come on in!”

Greg opened the door wider, allowing Dipper to step inside. He took a deep breath, allowing himself to smell the jasmine incense that lay on the end table near the door. The kitchen wasn’t too far from the hallway and he waved to Xiāng Líng and Dave. The woman was currently feeding Yin Wei her bottle and Dave was doing the dishes, looking up to see Dipper and gave him a grin. “Morning Dipper,” he greeted in the same cheerful tone of Greg’s. “Wirt’s down in the basement.”

“Alright, thanks!”

“Could you bring this down to him?” Xiāng Líng handed him a plate that held an omelet on it. “We’ve been up for a while and he went right down to the basement after our workout this morning. Could you make sure he eats it?”

“No problem,” he took the plate from the woman, who smiled gratefully at him. “Thanks for letting me come over.”

“It’s no issue,” the orient woman shook her head, dark strands of hair coming out of her ponytail. “You’re welcome to come over at any time.”

He smiled towards them one more time before taking off downstairs, past Greg who was trying to teach his frog a trick. Wirt was buried up to his nose in papers, dark eyes scanning the characters that were printed or carved onto the papers and bones. He jumped when Dipper poked him on the shoulder, practically throwing the papers in his hand into the air.

“Dipper!” his face flushed in embarrassment, which the brunette had to laugh at. Wirt clearly, did not find that very funny. “Geeze, you scared me!”

“Then I guess I did my job well,” he laughed, sitting down on the floor next to him. “So, these are the Oracle Bones?”

“Yeah,” Wirt nodded, the flush dying down from his cheeks and the embarrassment fading away. “From what I have noticed, it’s all written in Chinese until the last decade when my Mom added some bits in English. You don’t happen to understand Chinese, do you?”

“Nope,” Dipper shook his head. “Love to learn it, but I don’t have the time right now.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t understand all of it either,” Wirt mumbled, giving a little sigh. “Some of the characters I don’t recognize; that’s why Mom has all these books down here to help.”

Dipper turned his head to the mountain of books that were stacked on the desk table nearby. He swallowed thickly, eyes widening at the high pile of books. “That’s a lot of books,” he found himself saying. “Are they written in Chinese?”

“Some of them,” Wirt shrugged. “But there are a good few in English.”

“Yikes,” Dipper ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head and was now rethinking of taking up Mabel’s offer to drink some Mabel juice. “Well, you should at least take a break. If I don’t, I start eating my shirt.”

“Ew,” Wirt wrinkled his nose, but a smile was beginning to curl at the corners of his mouth. “Are you secretly a goat or something?”

“Shut up!” Dipper elbowed him in the ribs, smirking a little. He then picked up one of the papers that happened to be written in English. On it was the image of a woman with pale blonde hair and ice blue eyes that reminded him of one of his classmates, but he couldn’t say for certain. “I didn’t think witches still existed,” he commented, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, there’s one in the mountain that takes hands, but other than that…”

“There’s a witch that takes people’s hands?” Wirt asked in a skeptic tone. “Wait, no, that doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve met two witches before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, in The Unknown.”

He kept quiet at that little bit of information, not entirely sure how to process. Grunkle Ford had told him that The Unknown did exist, though he wasn’t sure how people got there. Were they dead, or was it an out of body experience? He could only hope he and Mabel wouldn’t ever end up there. “How much does Greg remember?” he asked, knowing that Wirt had to bear the responsibility of remembering it all.

“Not a whole lot,” Wirt responded in a quiet tone, raising his eyes to where Greg’s laughter could be heard from upstairs. “He was too young to remember all of it, but sometimes I think he remembers more than I think.”

“Tough kid,” Dipper commented, nodding. “I guess not much scares him.”

“The Beast does,” Wirt frowned. “Not surprising. And he doesn’t like trees all the time. His school put on a play and he had to dress up as a tree.”

“Aw man,” he shivered at the thought of it. “I think you’ve mentioned this before. He had a breakdown, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Wirt confirmed by nodding. “I talked him out of it and the performance went off without a hitch.”

They sat in silence before he remembered the plate he had set earlier on the table before scaring Wirt. “Hey, your Mom wanted me to give this to you,” he got up, stepping up towards the table and handed the boy his plate. “Don’t want you to start eating your shirt.”

“Thanks,” Wirt took the food, taking a large bit and chewed thoughtfully. He took several more bites, polishing the food down with his water bottle. When he was done, he took up the papers again, but paused and looked at him. “I said this to Mabel, but I’m sorry about your parents.”

He could remember the day they were told. The bus had just dropped them off and the police immediately took them to the station to tell them the news. Their Grunkles were called and the rest was a blur after that. He and Mabel didn’t believe it at first, but when they were escorted to the hospital, it shattered the illusion. Mabel fainted at the sight of their parents mutilated bodies and he would admit that he almost passed out as well. Killed immediately, they were told, and it was probably so quick they didn’t feel anything. But was that really reassuring? It didn’t change the fact they were dead.

“It’s alright now,” he reassured his new friend, looking over an article on witches again. “If I didn’t have Mabel or the Stan’s, I don’t know what I would do. They’re my family.”

The rest of the morning was spent looking over the Chinese characters, Xiāng Líng coming down a couple times to help them. She didn’t know all of them as well, but she had memorized quite a few of the pages and helped them out with the translating. Dipper liked her; she was kind and patient, very much like his own mother. It made his heart ache slightly and as if she knew what he was thinking, she patted his shoulder gently.

Apparently Yin Wei was starting to teeth and he could hear her getting fussy from all the way upstairs. They tried to keep her quiet, but Dipper could sympathize a little with the babe. It was something everyone went through in their early months of life. Wirt apologized for the noise and offered for them to go somewhere else, but Dipper could tell he didn’t really want to take the artifcats out of the house.

“It’s alright,” he shrugged, standing up and brushing the crumbs from lunch off his shirt. “I need to get back to the shack. I promised to help Mabel with the afternoon shift.”

“If you say so,” Wirt smiled a little. “I need a break too. I promised to take Greg to the library again.”

“Be safe,” Dipper couldn’t help but warn. “And if you see The Beast or Bill, make sure to tell us.”

“I will.”

He walked casually back to the shack, smirking a little at the gullible tourists that bought onto every one of Stan’s words. The door the shack was open and he waved to Soos, who was currently repainting one of the signs on the roof. He imagined Mabel to be dancing on the counter or trying to flirt with some guy. So, not much to his surprise when he walked in, she was dancing around the gift shop with Waddles.

“Hey Mabel,” he greeted, scaring her slightly. “That’s some fine dancing.”

“Waddles is a champion!” she grinned, hugging her pig tightly. “He is the best pig in the whole wide world!”

“Can’t argue with that,” he grinned and gave the pig a pat. “So, any boys catch your eye today?”

“Oh Dipper, there was this cute boy from Australia and-“

The door flew open, nearly knocking an elderly woman open and an angry mother had to pull her child away from Ford’s path as he hurried towards them. “Dipper! Mabel!” he called, pausing a moment to catch his breath. “Kids, I have some fantastic news to tell you!”

“What?” they both asked simultaneously.

Ford took both of them by the arms, leaving the several customers in the shack behind. They stood in the living room, both waiting patiently for the old man to speak. Ford adjusted his glasses, looking around to make sure no one was listening before his mouth opened. “I pinpointed another item,” he paused again as their eyes widened. “And we have to get it soon.”

“Which one? Dipper asked, now suddenly excited and he whipped out his phone to text Wirt. “And where is it?”

“It’s called the Venom Sword,” Ford explained in an almost excited matter. “It serves as the vessel of lust.”

“And where is it?”

“At the Northwest mansion.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now!


	10. Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt, Greg, Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica go after the Vessel of Lust and are met with complications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while! School got busy and midterms are coming up, but most of the big stuff is done and Spring break for us starts next week. Thanks for all the support and hope you are all safe and well! This chapter just complicates everything for Wirt XD

_I don't know what this is,_

_Cus you got me good,_

_Just like you knew you would,_

_You got me begging you for mercy,_

_Why won't you release me?_

_~Mercy by Duffy~_

**(June 30, Gravity Falls, Oregon, Pioneer Day)**

“I feel ridiculous.”

Wirt looked at himself in the mirror, making a face at his reflection as his mother ran a comb through his hair. She was attempting at managing the mess of dark brown hair, but was having mixed results. She huffed, blowing a piece of hair from her face and continued to fuss with it. He sighed, grimacing at the get up. He normally didn’t mind the clothes he’d worn when he and Greg fell over the wall, but right now, he felt weird without the rest of the get up.

“You look fine,” his mother assured him, practically having to stand on her tiptoes to continue fussing around with his hair. “You look as ridiculous as the rest of us.”

He made a face at her, which she mimicked and grinned at him. “You look handsome,” she said after a while when he didn’t say anything. “And you’re ready for the auction, right?”

“Is this really a good idea?” he bit his lip, frowning. “I mean, from what the twins have said, the Northwest’s are greedy. I figured the vessel of greed would fit them better.”

“The auction is for the things they have collected or have been in their family for generations. They probably picked it up somewhere without realizing it,” she shrugged. “Besides, Mabel did say Pacifica is going to help us out the best she can.”

“We don’t even know this Pacifica.”

“Well Dipper and Mabel trust her,” his mother countered. “And we need all the help we can get.”

“I suppose,” he sighed. “Are the others ready to go yet?”

“I’ll go check.”

She disappeared out her bedroom door, wandering into the hallway to Greg’s room. He could hear their muffled voices, his mother cooing over how cute Greg looked and how handsome Dave looked as well. Wirt looked back to his own reflection, making a face at himself again. The sooner he could get out of this costume, the better.

It wasn’t that they looked…bad per say, but he just felt silly. Dressing up like some old pioneer farmer was not something he wanted to do on any given day, but since it was Pioneer day and Preston Northwest required everyone dressed appropriately for the day during the auction, well, he didn’t really have much of a choice. The last thing they needed was for a random civilian to win the vessel and then be targeted by Bill and The Beast.

He shivered at the thought of some poor old woman being tortured by the two demons. Why he thought of an old woman, he had no idea, but he had the sudden image of old lady Daniels in his head now.

“Wiiiirrrrtttt!”

The sound of Greg’s voice sounded as his door was thrown open yet again to reveal Greg, dressed up like a little pioneer boy with a top hat on his head. It didn’t really match the outfit, but…

“Yes, Greg?” he asked carefully, adjusting his collar again. “And calm down, there’s no need to shout.”

Greg didn’t even appear miffed by his somewhat short tone. “There’s a limousine outside!” the boy was practically bouncing on his heels in excitement, causing a slight smile to form on Wirt’s face before he blinked in surprise and hurried over to where his brother was now peering out the window.

A long, white limousine sat in park in the front yard, the dark tinted windows concealing prying eyes that might dare look in. Greg took his hand, practically dragging him down the stairs and out the front door to where the vehicle was parked. Their parents followed closely behind, his mother supporting Yin Wei on her hip and staring at the limousine curiously. The side door opened, and a girl with beautiful golden hair and wearing what looked to be Gucci sunglasses. In front of her in the seats facing her direction, Mabel waved towards them while Dipper gave a brief smile.

“Pacifica Northwest,” the blonde girl stated shortly. “You’re Wirt and Greg, right?”

“Yes,” Wirt began, sweating nervously at the girl’s intimidating presence. “We just moved-“

“Yes, yes, I know,” the blonde interrupted, earning a look from Dipper, but she didn’t seem to care. “Do you and your parents want to hitch a ride from us?”

“You go ahead, Wirt, Greg,” their mother spoke, smiling kindly at them while Wirt just continued to feel confused. “I told Stan and Ford we’d get a ride from them. Dave and I will meet you there, alright?”

“Cool!” Greg hopped on in, earning a chuckle from their parents. “I feel like a king!”

He had to smile at his little brother’s enthusiasm and scooted in after him, feeling a little smooshed as he was sandwiched between Dipper and the window. Curse these long legs! He felt somewhat irritated at being cramped, though it was better than being sandwiched between Greg. The little boy could never sit still and would make things even worse.

“So,” Pacifica started, setting her expensive phone down and looking at him with sharp blue eyes. “Dipper explained to me about these supposedly cursed objects and that my family, not surprisingly, owns one. What’s your plan for getting it?”

Wirt frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Raising a slender eyebrow, the blonde looked to Mabel and then to Dipper, irritation now replacing the bewilderment she had previously when Wirt asked the question. “You four…you seriously don’t expect to just take the item and go, right?”

With a sheepish smile, Mabel shrugged. “Maybe?”

Pacifica face palmed and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Look,” she started and released her hand from her face. “I like you guys, I really do. You’ve done a lot for my family that I’ll never be able to repay. But my parents…they’re not just going to let you walk in and take something without paying. You know that, right?”

Dipper just sighed. “We kind of figured, but,” he trailed off for a moment, a brief smile forming when he noticed Greg looking around the vehicle in awe. “After what happened during Weirdmaggedon years ago… I don’t think they’re in a position to say no.”

“You seriously don’t know my parents,” Pacifica grumbled. “They’re never going to change. They’d rather die than give something away for free.”

“Could you try?” Mabel pleaded, round eyes growing wider as she gave a puppy look. “Come on Paz, I’m sure you can think of something. You’re not you’re parents; you’re better than they are.”

Wirt half expected Pacifica to roll her eyes and say something rude to Mabel, but the blonde just blinked slowly, mouth pressing into a thin line and she nodded her head. “I’ll…try to think of something,” she said, the harsh tone she had earlier evaporating. “But no promises.”

“Thanks!” Mabel beamed, turning to Dipper with a sweet smile. “See Dipper, told you she’d come through.”

“I said no promises!”

The whole scene amused him, though he didn’t know why. It made him think of Kathleen and Rhondi, even Jason and Sara came to his mind. His heart sunk into his stomach in a way that made him feel ill, the thought of his friends back in Michigan weighing down. How were they? He hadn’t spoken to them in a while, did they even remember him? Even though he and his family had only been here a month, the small quirky town was already starting to feel like home. Should he be feeling this way?

When he felt Greg give him a pat, he noticed the same look in his eyes and felt a little bit better. How could he forget that Greg had left behind friends as well?

“Hey, we’re here!”

The house was huge; a lot grander than Wirt had been expecting. For the past few weeks, he’d been meaning to take a look at the mansion, but considering all that had been going on, he didn’t have the time. Now the large mansion with dark brick design and trimmed hedges shaped in an N and W made his house feel like a shack in comparison. Not even his own father had this much money. Just how rich were the Northwest’s?

“We managed to buy it back from McGucket,” Pacifica explained, though Wirt and Greg had no idea what she was talking about. “Apparently he got bored of all the space and thought it was too clean or something like that. Daddy was more than happy to buy the house back.”

“Of course,” Dipper snorted, earning a glare from Mabel. “Isn’t that just like him?”

The blonde girl motioned for them to follow her, the five of them walking around the house to the back, where Wirt assumed there was another entrance. From inside, he could hear classical music playing and the clinking of champagne glasses as the snooty laughter of the upper class could be heard. He ground his teeth, heart slamming against his chest. He’d been to parties like these before, when his parents were still married. His mother hated them just as much as he did, if not more.

“We’re in,” Pacifica opened the back door of the house, leading them down a hallway. “Everyone’s dressed up, so no one will know that you’re not upper class. Well, they might. Considering your clothes are kind of…mediocre compared to the people here.”

She wasn’t being mean; he knew that by the way she looked worried. He still felt slightly offended, but what could he do about it? He kept quiet as Pacifica and Mabel chatted quietly, looking around the house and keeping grasping Greg’s hand firmly. The last thing he needed was for Greg to run off and get lost. He’d have a heart attack if that happened and what if the boy got hurt? He’d never forgive himself.

“Hey, Wirt, are you okay?” Dipper asked, nudging him in the side. “Are you thinking about…them?”

“Now I am,” he responded dryly, the thoughts of their enemy flashing before them. “We haven’t seen them in a while. They’ve been…quiet.”

“Almost a bit too quiet,” Dipper agreed, dark brown eyes hardening slightly. “I haven’t been sleeping well either. I know Bill and The Beast are up to something, and I just know they’re going to be here today.”

“If we know the Vessel of Lust is here, then chances are they do to,” Wirt shook his head, frowning. “Though how they would know, I haven’t the slightest idea.”

Pacifica opened the doors to a room, a large room filled with items stacked on many tables. Hundreds of items that astonished him to no end and looked so fragile and expensive, one touch from his fingers could break them. He knew his jaw had dropped, for Greg had to reach up and close it for him, waggling his finger and saying something about flies coming in and making a nest.

They followed the blonde towards the middle of the room, where a katana lay in a black casing. Amethyst and diamond jewels coated the casing and handle, gleaming sharply underneath the lamplight. Pacifica traced the item, glancing at it distastefully. “We found this years ago, stashed away in the attic. It’s been in our family for generations and if you say it’s a vessel for sin, well, I want it gone. It probably explains why my family’s so greedy.”

“Wouldn’t that be the vessel of greed then?” Mabel asked curiously. “I thought lust is supposed to be like, you know, for boys or something.”

Dipper shook his head. “Not necessarily. Grunkle Ford told me it’s how you interpret it. Yeah, your ancestors might have been greedy, but they kept lusting for wealth and power and this vessel here took advantage of it, aiding and adding onto that lust for wealth and power.”

Pacifica just glared at the sword. “Not that it excuses my family for our corruption; we made the choices in the end. Just, take the damn thing and get it out. I don’t want to see it ever again.”

Wirt picked the sword up, the object surprisingly light in his hands. It blamed the stupid Awakening powers, but the moment he touched it, something didn’t feel right. A buzzing, tingling sensation ran through his body, as if he had grabbed an electric fence and held on too tightly. For a moment, he swore he could see The Beast but when he blinked, there was nothing there. He set the item back on the table, hear slamming against his chest.

Dipper and Mabel both looked concerned, as did Greg, but he shook his head. “I’m fine,” he lied and from the looks on their faces, they knew it. “The sword, I guess, affects people when you touch it.”

“Pacifica!”

The door was thrown open and a man stepped through, glaring angrily at her. A woman in an old vintage Victorian dress followed after, looking just as angry. Pacifica paled, stepping back and looked to Mabel quickly. “Mom, Daddy!” she exclaimed, looking a bit afraid. “I was just showing them around and-“

“I told you we don’t give things away for free!” Preston Northwest, Pacifica’s father, growled. “It is not our family’s way!”

“Well maybe our way is stupid!” Pacifica shot back. “I told you this sword is cursed! Why don’t you believe me?”

“Don’t you disrespect your father,” her mother, Priscilla, snapped at her, hands on her hips. “If you defy us like that again, I’ll take away a thousand dollars from your allowance! And your ponies!”

“Fine!” Pacifica stepped forward, crossing her harms defiantly. “Take it away! But when demons come to get the item and terrorize our home, don’t come crying to me when you need help to stop it! Just give it to the twins and let it go!”

“No!” Preston sneered, motioning for bodyguards to come in. They did, grabbing their arms and leading them out of the bidding room. Preston took a key from his jacket pocket and locked it, waving the golden key in front of his daughter’s face. “I won’t have my daughter going around giving stuff away for free. A Northwest never gives anything to the poor.”

They left, Pacifica stamping her foot in anger and kicking the wall soon after. “Damn it!” she growled, slumping the floor in defeat. “They never listen! Never! And here I thought they had changed at least a little after the whole thing with Bill,” Wirt almost felt bad for her, standing awkwardly with Greg as a single tear slipped down her face. “I should have known they would never change. What a stupid thing to hope for.”

“Hey,” Mabel wrapped an arm around her comfortably, stroking her hair. “You did your best; they’re just grumpy grump grumps. We’ll get that sword, even if we have to get Grunkle Stan and Ford to deal with them.”

Pacifica made a face. “I don’t think I want your Grunkles to threaten my parents.”

“Who said anything about threatening?”

The blonde just rolled her eyes, but a tiny smile cracked. “We better get to the foyer; that’s where everyone is right now. We can make sure no one gets the sword.”

“That might be a problem.”

They all jumped at the sound of Greg’s voice, the boy had been unusually quiet and even as people began standing outside the room to chat, he still kept quiet. Now he was pointing at something, or, rather at someone. Wirt stood beside him, trying to see what he was looking at. “What is it, Greg?”

“Bill’s here,” the boy actually looked a little afraid, probably remembering what had happened a few days ago. “And I bet old Beasty is too.”

~

“Mom?” Wirt stood outside of the room, trying to drown out the noise of the Preston as he called out numbers on the items. “Mom, where are you? The auction’s going on right now!”

 _“The car broke down!”_ she sounded very annoyed and in the background, he could hear his sister getting fussy and irritable as Stan cursed out loud, no doubt trying to fix the old clunky machine. _“Stanley is doing the best he can, but I don’t know if it’s fixable right now. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”_

“Okay,” he sighed, feeling guilty for lying to her. “I’ll see you later, then.”

 _“Is everything alright? There’s not a problem, is there?”_ she sounded worried and he wanted to tell her, but…

“It’s fine,” he looked towards Dipper, who was now glaring furiously at Bill, who just smirked at him from across the table. “The people here are just…snobby.”

 _“Not surprising,”_ his mother snorted. _“Alright, well, we’ll be there soon. Make sure Greg is safe, okay?”_

“Got it,” he hung up, moving over to where Greg was peering up at the katana with wide eyes. He placed a protective hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You okay?” he asked gently, the feel of Bill’s eye on him and he shivered inspite of himself. “I won’t let him get you, alright?”

He wanted to pretend he was fine, but he wasn’t. His body felt strange, as if he’d been sitting in a funny way and now his body was tingling. There was this strange desire he couldn’t process, like he wanted to reach out and touch somebody, but he couldn’t process the thoughts into a specific person. At first he thought it was Sara, but now he wasn’t so sure.

“It’s not me, I’m worried about you!” Greg looked up at him. “And Dipper. Bill wants Dipper and I don’t want that to happen, brother o’ mine.”

“It won’t,” he promised, sighing a little. “We’ll just have to work extra hard in preventing it from happening.”

“He looks different,” he heard Pacifica whisper to Mabel, the blonde’s eyes narrowing in distaste. “How did he get a human body?”

“He created it,” Mabel whispered back, glaring at the former triangle demon with disgust. “And it’s not even remotely cute.”

“I’m insulted, Shooting Star,” Bill sneered, hand dramatically placed on his hip. “I thought this form turned out rather nicely. Pine Tree here seems to think so; he can’t stop looking at it.”

Dipper’s face turned bright red and he glared at the demon. “You’re not getting the vessel!” he snapped at the demon, his twin nodding her head in agreement. “If you try anything; hurt anyone here, I’ll-“

“You’ll what, Pine Tree?” Bill sounded amused, now leaning forward on his cane and staring down at him with his solid golden eye. “Punch me in the eye like last time? You’re cute, thinking you can stop me.”

Wirt jumped slightly as Mabel poked him in the side, Pacifica now saying something that was probably insulting to Bill. “He can’t be on his own here,” she whispered to him as her twin and friend glared at the demon. “The Beast, I know he’s here. But where could he be?”

“In the shadows, watching,” he found himself saying darkly. “Probably to keep his identity hidden from the others.”

“But why?”

“Who knows,” he sighed, shaking his head. “The less known about him, the more mysterious he gets.”

“Oh don’t worry Lover Boy, Beasty is here,” the sound of Bill addressing him made his skin crawl. He looked to the demon, keeping a firm hand on Greg as the boy’s eyes widened. “Beasty sends his regards and that he’ll come see you soon.”

“How soon?” Greg asked, hands on his round little hips. “That’s not very specific.”

“Soon enough, Candy Pants. We’ve got plans,” the demon’s eye narrowed, mouth curling into a sneer that made his stomach tighten in anxiety. “And we don’t need you five getting in the way.”

“So what are you going to do, kill us?” Pacifica challenged. “Turn us into stone so you can make another throne of human misery?”

“For you, I might consider it,” Bill chuckled, and the very sound made a few people turn and stare. “Pine Tree and Lover Boy will be fine. Mostly, anyway. I might put Shooting Star here in her own personal bubble again; only this time it will be more…permanent.”

Dipper grabbed his sister’s hand, standing protectively in front of her. “You leave my sister alone!” he hissed threateningly. “Or I’ll trap you in the nightmare realm for real!”

“Yeah, I’d like to see you try,” the demon snickered. “Oh Pine Tree, this is why I like you. You say the cutest things. How about I later give you a head that’s always screaming?”

“Pacifica, who are you talking to?”

Priscilla Northwest strode over, adjusting red lipstick to her botoxed lips. At first, Wirt was convinced she wasn’t concerned about her daughter at all, but he could see a flash of suspicion in her eyes as she looked at Bill. “I’m sorry, who are you? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“William Spears,” Bill all but sneered at her, feigning politeness for the time being. “I’m quite interested in this sword here. For my collection back in Egypt.”

“Oh,” Priscilla looked impressed, but then it changed back to confusion. “Are you sure we haven’t met? You sound so…familiar.”

“I’m so sure we haven’t met,” Bill smiled and leaned back on his cane. “At least, not personally.”

“Priscilla, dear, who are you talking to?” Preston advanced towards them with a glass of wine in his hand, staring at Bill critically. “He’s not dressed historically. If you received an invitation, you would have known.”

“We didn’t invite him!” Pacifica interjected, facing her parents and turning her back to Bill. “Mom, Dad, it’s Bill! He’s come back!”

“Nonsense, Pacifica,” Preston waved his daughter off with a hand. “Bill was a triangle. Clearly this man isn’t.”

“Yeah, Preston,” Bill snickered, eye almost glowing in amusement. “Wow, I knew you humans were dumb, but I didn’t think you were all _this_ dumb!”

Just like that, the glass of wine slipped from Preston’s hand and shattered onto the floor. His eyes widened and he backed away, hands coming to his face as if to make sure it was still there. Priscilla looked confused but as Bill kept grinning, his eye began to glow unnaturally. She backed away as well, bringing Pacifica along with her. “B…Bill!” Preston looked absolutely terrified. “But you…you were…”

“Defeated? Destroyed? Turned to stone and banished away?” Bill offered, listing the possibilities with his fingers. “Yeah, can’t destroy me that easy. You humans are so easily manipulated and fooled. It takes a lot more to actually kill a demon. Right, Lover Boy?”

At the mention of his stupid nickname, Wirt flinched. The triangle demon was right; kill the spider witch or demon, whatever she was, hadn’t been easy. He could have been killed! Greg’s hand tightened on his, so tight Wirt was afraid the boy’s knuckles would turn white. But Greg didn’t look afraid, he just looked determined. He wished he could share the boy’s optimism, but he couldn’t.

“T..take whatever you want!” Preston cowered in fear, refusing to look Bill in the eye. “Just don’t take away my face!”

“Well, what I really want is Pine Tree-“

“Then take him!”

“What? Dad!”

Pacifica turned to her father in horror, Mabel forming a shield around Dipper with her arms as she glared at the demon. People were now circling around them in confusion, though some did look afraid. Wirt didn’t blame them; he could feel the power and chaotic energy radiating from Bill. Yet, he didn’t feel the urge to run and hide like the rest of them. All he could think about was the safety of his brother and friends.

“But I’m actually here for the sword,” Bill continued casually, clearly not caring about how afraid everyone was. “So hand it over and I won’t hurt anyone.”

“Just take it!” Preston reached out to grab it, but hands suddenly slapped them away.

Wirt blinked in surprise, realizing it had been him to do it. He stared down at his own hands in surprise while Bill just laughed. “You want to fight me over this, Lover Boy?” he snickered again, the obnoxious sound grating on his ears. “Look kid, I’d love to fight you but my partner wouldn’t like that. You’re his plaything, after all.”

“Where is he?” he ground out, hoping he was doing his best to stand his ground. “Where’s The Beast? Why isn’t he out here now?”

“Oh, he has his reasons,” Bill stated airily. “I could take you to him if you want.”

“No!” Dipper shouted, moving out from behind Mabel. “Bill, leave us all alone! I don’t care why you’re doing this, but I won’t let you hurt anyone!”

“And what are you going to do about that, Pine Tree?”

He didn’t expect Dipper to punch Bill across the face and clearly, neither did Bill. The triangle demon actually looked stunned for a brief moment before his eye flashed red in anger. He waved his arm and sent Dipper flying across the room, the boy’s head hitting a wall. He gave the captive audience a cruel smile. “Stay right there, folks,” he strode over to Dipper, who was wearily getting up. “Dear Pine Tree here needs a lesson in treating his master with respect.”

“Greg,” Wirt pulled his brother by the hand as Dipper threw another punch at Bill, who easily dodged it. “I’m getting you out of here.”

“But Wirt!”

“Come on,” he pulled his brother along, easily maneuvering through the crowd of people watching Bill and Dipper fight in horror. He opened the door, the two of them easily slipping out. “Greg, go find Mom and Dave! Oh, and Ford and Stan too. Hurry!”

“What about you?” Greg asked, upset and a bit distracted. “Bill’s a meanie! He’ll hurt you!”

“No he won’t,” he shook his head, giving a small smile. “Not if I can stop him. Now go!”

“Alright!”

Greg ran down the hall, the sound of him running down the stairs and a large door opening echoed in Wirt’s ears. He clenched his fists together, taking a deep breath before turning around to open the door to the auction. He laid a hand on the door knob, twisting it to the right and…

Nothing happened.

His heart quickened its pace and he pulled on it, trying to get it open. People were screaming and the sound of Bill laughing had his skin crawling with worry and fear. People from the inside were trying to open the door too, but nothing was happening. Bill must be keeping everyone in there, but why? What was the point of all this?

“Hello again, Lover Boy.”

With a slam, his heart pounded even harder against his chest. The Beast only stood a few feet away from him, in that ridiculous human form of his. Wirt only glared at him, pushing away from the door and running towards the opposite end of the hallway, knowing full well he couldn’t escape from the demon. However, escape wasn’t what he was trying to do. Not that The Beast knew that, of course.

He kept running, the calm, steady footsteps of The Beast echoing right behind him. He took a right turn, only to find a dead end and gave himself a silent lecture on making rash decisions. The Beast only shook his head, as if about to reprimand a small child. “Running is futile, wouldn’t you agree?” the demon asked. “I see you found the Venom Sword.”

“I won’t give it to you!” he snapped back, pushing down the panic. “You and Bill won’t get it! We’ll stop you!”

The Beast only tilted his head in mockery, a small smirk gracing his thin lips. “Will you now?” he stepped forward and as he did, Wirt took a step back. “Do you really believe in that, Lover Boy? Is this confidence real? Or is it just you trying to convince yourself?”

“Of course it’s real!” what was the demon getting at? It wasn’t like…he was afraid of him or anything. His hand twitched lightly, and he gritted his teeth and the tingling feeling that was resonating through his body. It felt like he was on pins and needles; an uncomfortable feeling that had been plaguing him ever since…ever since he picked up the sword.

“I can help,” The Beast moved forward again. “With your little problem. It will only get worse if you don’t let me fix it.”

“Stay away from me!”

He was backed into the wall, the sensation throughout his body only growing worse. Why did he touch the stupid thing? He should have just left it alone! Now he had to deal with this stupid ache; this stupid urge that he couldn’t really describe too well. He hadn’t felt this strong an urge before and he knew it had to be the effects of the sword. The Beast only kept calmly striding towards him, not at all phased by his protests.

If anything, The Beast seemed to be anticipating this. He reached out, fingers tracing his face slowly before sliding down his chin to rest on his collar bone for a moment. They traced the present bruise on his neck before sliding down his chest and then retreating away from his body. Wirt had arched into the touch, blushing furiously in anger and embarrassment. Why was his body reacting like this? This wasn’t right; wasn’t safe at all!

“Don’t deny yourself what you want,” The Beast all but slurred into his ear, stepping even closer so that Wirt could feel his warm breath on his face. “Drop all your defenses; succumb yourself to me,” he purred, teeth blindingly white against the ceiling lamplight. “I know what you want, Wirt. The sword unlocks desires; even unconscious ones and you won’t be satisfied until you have what you want.”

“I…I don’t want anything!”

“So you say,” the demon murmured, clearly not convinced. “You try so hard to be defiant; you try to resist me but it won’t work. We are connected,” he stroked his face again, their face only inches apart. “We go back a long way, Lover Boy. A thousand years, to be exact.”

Through the affects his body was giving out, he ground his teeth. “What are you talking about?” he grumbled, attempting to get away from the demon. “Leave me alone.”

“All in due time,” the demon muttered and leaned forward, their noses brushing up against each other’s. “The only thing you need to know right now is that you’re mine. Every single part of you; mind, body, and soul, belong to me. When I bit you, it left a mark to show other demons that I have claim on you.”

Through the sound of their mixed breathing, Wirt found his hands reaching out to grip at the demon’s clothing. What was he doing? “I don’t want you,” he found himself saying out loud. “I hate you.”

“For now,” The Beast only gave a short laugh. “But it’s so ironic how feelings can change. One day, you’ll learn to love me.”

All he did was lean forward and press his lips against The Beast’s in a desperate kiss. It had to be the effects of the sword; it had to be! Why else would he be doing this? His mind was a scattered brained mess and the most rational part told him to stop, but he couldn’t. When had he started desiring the demon?

The Beast seemed all too pleased with his actions, pressing him up against the wall with his body keeping his in place as the kiss deepened. The Beast’s pale hands were cold, like the snow he had wandered in so long ago in his time venturing The Unknown. They stroked his back, occasionally brushing up against his chest as he smirked into the kiss, deepening it when he could.

The demon found his way into his mouth, teeth scraping against teeth and Wirt could feel every single part of the demon up against his body. He was pressed up so tightly, there was hardly any room for him to move. He was lifted up, legs wrapping around the demon’s waist and the kiss continuing. Every part of the demon was cold, like he had no blood coursing through his body to give him warmth.

When they parted, it hit him like a wave crashing over the shore. He panted, the tingling sensation now gone from his body and the feeling of dread now replacing it. The Beast only looked amused and he chuckled at the look of horror on Wirt’s face. “Still want me to leave?” he mocked, a sneer on his face.

Nauseas at what he just did, Wirt pushed away from the demon and wiping the saliva from his mouth. No one could find out about this; he was sure he’d be labeled a traitor. He wouldn’t deny the kiss was nice, a little bit more than nice. He had kissed like that with Sara once and it didn’t feel the same. That had been a few weeks before they broke up, but this was different. It changed everything.

“I think I’ll let you have the sword,” The Beast called and he glanced over his shoulder to look at him. “Till next time, Lover Boy.”

He melted into to the darkness of the shadows on the wall and Wirt let out a sigh of relief. He hurried back to the auction room, the door thrown open and people spilling out. Dipper and Mabel stood towards the entrance, the girl supporting her younger twin, who looked a little beat up. Stan was looking him over in concern while Ford stood in front of the katana, using a device to hold it.

“Wirt!” his mother wrapped her arms around him. “We got here just in time! Where were you?”

“The Beast,” he began, trying to think of a way to explain things to her, but came up with nothing. “He tried to get me, but I stopped him.”

She blinked at him before shaking her head again, pulling him into another embrace. “I’m so glad nothing bad happened to you. Poor Dipper,” she looked so sad as she let Greg join in on their hug. “You kids handled it well, besides Bill attacking Dipper. I’ve never seen another demon react so violently before.”

“None of you kids touched this, did you?” Ford stepped forward, the sword now encased in some sort of protection. “It affects a person when it’s touched and it can have devastating results.”

“What do you mean?” Pacifica asked, holding tightly to her parents’ hands.

“If the beholder doesn’t get what they want right away, it can make them go mad. Or they’ll stop at nothing to achieve what they desire.”

Dipper glanced over at him, looking concerned. “Wirt touched it briefly.”

“But I’m fine now!” Wirt finished, holding up his hands. “It didn’t affect me at all!”

His mother and Ford didn’t look convinced, and he could see the wheels in his mother’s eyes turning, but she didn’t push the topic. At least, for now. From his spot in the corner, Dave just sighed and adjusted Yin Wei in his arms. “Let’s just go home, alright?” he sighed. “I think after a day like this, we deserve some rest.”

Wirt agreed with the man whole heartedly and as they walked, he traced his lips carefully. The memory of their recent interaction came up and he wanted to vomit.

He was in too deep now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, even more mysterious revolving The Beast and Wirt. Next chapter should be up soon!


	11. Brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beast and Bill talk of the events retaining to the events at the Northwest mansion. Wirt and his mother train and discuss the origins of their powers and why their family has it. Greg runs into Annie and learns more about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments! Spring Break starts on Friday and I'm heading to Chicago with friends. Wooh, road trip! Thanks for all the love and support! There's so much I have to write and so much in store for all these characters. I love writing Wirt and Beast moments; they're so complicated and so bad for each other XD but there is a reason for everything. His reason for going after Wirt is anything but coincidence after all. I personally don't see The Beast as being spontaneous; that's more Bill. He's more thought out, careful in a sense. Maybe? You feel me?

 

_Welcome to the middle ground,_

_It's safe and sound and until now it's where I've been,_

_Cuz it's been fear that ties me down to everything,_

_But it's been love; your love that cuts the strings_

_~Brave by Nicole Nordeman~_

**(Bill and The Beast, somewhere in the world)**

“Is there something you’d like to share with us, Beasty? ‘Cause I think we all would _love to hear_ why you gave that _abominatio_ the sword.”

While leaning up against the tree, Bill Cipher didn’t appear threatening or angry at all. In fact, with that obnoxious smile on his face, one would think he was in the best of spirits. But he knew better than that. Underneath that too wide smile, lay the anger and threat waiting to be unleashed. The Beast however, was not afraid of Bill Cipher. Even though he was a powerful and formidable demon, he would never be able to take him down.

In the midst of the clearing, a whole hoard of creatures had gathered. Witches of the dark lantern coven, minor demons and creatures known only to human nightmares prowled through the darkness, their luminescent eyes glowing with hunger. To the right, Queen Titania of the fae sat on a throne made from what looked to be pure silver and gold. She appeared disinterested, blue eyes staring in boredom at them while her willowy hands toyed with her golden hair. Fairies of all species and shapes danced around her throne yet were aware of the danger and tension heating up between the two very old demons.

“It is only temporarily,” he responded with ease, and remained unfazed by the twitch that occurred on Bill’s lip. “Those foolish humans won’t know what to do with them; they only have two items.”

“AND THERE IS STILL FOUR MORE LEFT OUT THERE! ARE YOU GOING TO LET THAT LITTLE TOY OF YOURS GET THEM?”

He didn’t even flinch at the angry tone of Bill’s voice, though several creatures and demons flinched away while the angry demon’s eye glowed blood red. He waited impassively, not even blinking as he watched the angry vivid color fade from Bill’s eye. “As you just said, there are four more items to be discovered. We are no closer to finding them than they are,” he continued, ignoring the death glare Bill was giving him. “There is no need to get angry; even if those foolish mortals acquire more items, there is one weakness they have.”

“And what, dear beasty,” Bill snarled inhumanly. “Is that?”

“Family,” his lips curled cruelly. “At the end of the day, they will sacrifice almost everything to save even one family member. It’s their mortal flow, after all.”

“So you’re saying,” they both turned their heads slightly to see Titania rise from her throne, walking quietly towards them. “That no matter what, they will give us the items if one of them is in danger?”

All he did was nod in reply and she grinned, revealing blindingly white teeth that gleamed sharply in the moonlight. Bill, now, looked less angry and laughed. “How could I forget,” he chuckled, twirling his cane in his hand. “The Pines family can’t do anything without knowing each other are safe. This is going to be almost TOO easy.”

Titania tilted her head. “Why do you want this boy so much?” she stared directly into his glowing eyes, no trace of fear in her eyes. “Is it because he reminds you of _her_ and how she outwitted you? If I recall correctly, it was because of Wu that you ended up bound to a lantern. Is all this just to spite her and laugh in her face?”

“And I believe,” he snarled towards her, while she just smirked in the cruel way that all fairies did. “That that is none of your business.”

While Bill was busy laughing to himself, a figure dashed through the crowd and hurried towards them, removing the black hood from their head as they kneeled down to bow towards him. Bill stopped laughing; staring at her with the same amused expression as Titania. The girl raised her head, keeping her eyes downcast as she spoke.

“My lord,” she began in a soft, polite tone. “I have good news from Ireland.”

“And?” he inquired. “Continue, Ruby.”

She lifted her dark eyes up, not even stopping the grin on her face. “We have succeeded in releasing the Morrigan from her prison. The Goddess now walks among us again.”

~

**(Gravity Falls, with Wirt and Xiāng Líng, July 2)**

Fighting shouldn’t have come easy to him; it really shouldn’t have.

He panted; sweat drenching his body as he held up his fists in a defensive position. From across the room, his mother also took up a defensive strike, though he had to admit she looked a lot more intimidating than he did. Her eyes were calm, and she was dripping with sweat like he was. Of course, she had more years of practice than he did and her body was much more fit than his.

It just wasn’t fair.

“Ready?”

“Wait-“

“Let’s go.”

He didn’t even have time to process what she was doing, for he soon found himself sitting on the ground rubbing his jaw. He recalled her spinning on her left foot to the right, before her right foot came up in a roundhouse kick. Now her eyes were narrowed at him, hands placed on her hips as she stood before him. “I give up,” he moaned, flopping on his back and letting out a deep sigh. “I’m never going to get this right.”

“I don’t need you to give up; I need you to learn,” she sounded irritated, but sat down on the ground next to him. “I’m not even using my full strength. What’s up with you, Walter? You’re not focusing today and you’ve been doing well these past few days.”

He just continued to lay there on the ground, staring up towards the basement ceiling. From upstairs, he could hear Greg talking to his father about something that sounded like raisins and grapefruit, but why they would be talking about that he had no idea. He wiped his lips, still feeling that tingling sensation from the kiss two days ago. How could he explain that he made out with the demon who they’re supposed to be fighting to his mother?

“I couldn’t even fight The Beast two days ago,” he lamented, not meeting her concerned gaze. “All I could do was run from him.”

“Well you just started learning,” she countered, giving a tired sigh. “And you’re young; how many supernatural creatures have you gone up against?”

“But aren’t we supposed to not fear?” he asked, now sitting up to stare at her. “I thought all our fear was supposed to be gone.”

“Fear never goes away completely,” her gaze was distant as she stared towards the chest sitting on the table. Her left fingers were absent mindedly tracing the tattoo below her wrist, the old character standing out against her skin. “We just have better control of it. That doesn’t mean we don’t get scared or frightened. The night you and Greg almost died…it was the first time in a long time I actually felt scared.”

He pursed his lips tightly and scowled towards the floor. “What if I can’t even protect Greg or anyone else when the time comes?” he admitted softly. “What if I’m too weak to do anything?”

“You won’t be,” he felt her place a hand on his shoulder, eyes warm and calm. “If I know you, you wouldn’t let anything hurt your little brother. Remember that spider witch? You took her down without even knowing your abilities. You knew you were scared, but you didn’t have time to focus on it. All you could think about was protecting Greg, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “I knew I couldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“See? You’re not weak,” she stood up, offering her hand to him. “You’re a Liang, and we are strong enough to push back the fear.”

He stared at the tattoo on his own arm, the ink staring boldly at him as if it were trying to assure him of his great lineage. “I don’t understand any of this,” he started, frowning at the inked blessing on his skin. “I still don’t really understand what The Beast wants with me. Why our family? What did Wu even do? How did she even get powers?”

“I honestly don’t know,” his mother replied as she shook her loose dark hair from her ponytail, taking her time to redo it. “That part of our history has been lost; not even her son knew why, or how, it happened. All he knew was that he had to write it down so that other members of the family would know what to do when an Awakening began.”

“I wonder when Greg will Awaken…”

“Let’s hope not for a long time,” she grimaced slightly. “I think one of my kids Awakening is enough for the time being.”

~

“Come on Skipper! The Captain’s busy today, so we have to maintain the world for him! Charge!”

With a laugh, Greg ran down the sidewalk of downtown of Gravity Falls, Jason Funderberker hopping along beside him with a smile on his face. Despite it being very hot today, he thought the weather was rather nice and who wanted to spend nice weather indoors? Not him! Every day was a chance to explore; to find new treasure, or even convince older brothers to buy him ice cream…

“Mhmm ice cream,” he sighed wistfully, but continued on his way to wherever the wind would take him. After all, that’s what adventures were for, weren’t they?

In his hometown way back in old Michigan, he would have adventures in old lady Daniel’s garden, though Wirt would always insist that she was using him for child labor and was breaking a law or something; he never really paid attention. Old lady Daniel’s would say that every day was an adventure, considering you never could know what would happen.

Though in his opinion, living in Gravity Falls was an adventure.

He didn’t miss his old home too much, though he did miss his friends Jody and Tomas. He missed his old backyard, with the swing his father had placed on the tree. He missed the cemetery and the adventure he and Wirt had in The Unknown. He knew Wirt missed The Unknown, he could see it on his face every day when he thought no one was looking. Greg missed it too, but he wasn’t entirely sure how he could get Wirt back to it. Or even if he wanted Wirt to return to it. What if Wirt wanted to stay there forever?

So much was coming up in the next few weeks! The Fourth of July was two days away, and Stan had admitted to him and Mabel about an illegal fireworks show. His mother had mentioned something to his father about yucky old school, but he didn’t have to think about that right now. He still had two whole months of vacation left till he had to return after Labor Day. Yin Wei was luck; she didn’t have to start school for five more years.

He continued his way down the sidewalk, walking past a nice little spot near the bookstore. Most days he saw a few old ladies and men sit on the benches, feeding birds and other small animals’ crumbs of bread, but today, no one was there. Except for a short girl with pale blonde hair and a girl, who was a few inches taller and had very dark brown hair. He recognized the blonde girl immediately, a little bit confused as to why they were standing so close.

“ANNIE!” he called out, and the two girls pulled away from each other.

Annie’s face was pink while the other girl just smirked and moved a strand of dark brown hair from her face. “Hey Greg,” she responded softly, carefully. “What are you doing?”

“Just saying hi,” he titled his head in confusion. “Where’s Shelby?”

“At home,” she responded in a clipped tone and looked over to the girl again. “Do you need something?”

“Who’s this?” he completely ignored her and turned to the girl. “Hey wait, I know you! You’re ice cream girl!”

The girl laughed, kneeling down to get a better look at him. “Well aren’t you cute,” she smiled down at him and then looked back up at Annie. “I do work at the ice cream stand. My name’s Valentina and you already know my girlfriend, Annie.”

Annie just gave her a look and pursed her lips. Valentina just shrugged and Greg just felt confused. “Wirt said you liked girls,” he looked to Annie and raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re dating? Or does it mean you hate boys?”

Valentina laughed, standing up to her full height and clutching at her sides as if what he just said was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Annie just kept an impassive face but he could see her eye twitching in irritation. “You’re a cutie,” she ruffled his head, and even though she was smirking, her eyes smiled playfully down at him. “No, I don’t hate boys.”

“Oh,” he paused, thinking hard for a moment. “So, if you’re dating, does everyone in the world know? Did you proclaim your love for each other in a big romantic way like how Noah and Allie proclaim their love for each other in the _Blue Book?_ ”

Just like that, the mood between the three of them changed. He didn’t understand why; it was a valid question. Not that he was going to admit that he and his mother watched romantic comedies whenever they could. Not even Wirt knew that. Even though Annie kept a straight face, her expression had changed pretty rapidly. Her eyes hardened and her fists clenched together. Even the smile on Valentina’s face dropped and she looked away, biting her lip harshly.

“…No,” Annie responded, unclenching her hands. “My Dad doesn’t know.”

“And my parents don’t know either.”

He just tilted his head. “Why?”

“It’s…complicated,” Valentina answered, Annie choosing to keep quiet. “My parents wouldn’t approve and…I don’t know.”

Annie shrugged as well and moved a strand of her hair away. “I don’t know what my dad would say,” she murmured. “I don’t think I’m ready to find out,” she then stared at him, tilting her head slightly. “I wonder though, why am I telling you this?”

“I won’t tell anyone. Secret’s safe with me!” he made a zipping motion with his fingers and lips, flicking the key away in the end. “But you should tell your dad. Why wouldn’t he love you? Parents always love their kids!”

“You’re cute,” Annie sighed and gave a tiny thin smile, but it smile didn’t reach her eyes. “But no. They don’t always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much for this chapter, but the next one will be more light-hearted, I swear! PSYCH! Ahahahahaha!!!


	12. Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fourth of July. Need I say more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to update over Spring Break but...I got busy. Chicago was lots of fun! So weird that there's only a few weeks of school left and one last full month. Summer is just around the corner! Yay!

_This innocence,_

_Is brilliant,_

_I hope that it will stay,_

_This moment is perfect,_

_Please don't go away,_

_I need you now,_

_And I'll hold onto it,_

_Don't let it pass you by~_

_~Innocence by Avril Lavigne_

**July 4, Gravity Falls, Oregon**

“Fireworks! Fireworks! Fireworks!”

“Geeze kids, calm down! It’s not even dark outside yet!”

With his hands on his hips, Stan glared down at Greg and Mabel, who just looked at him with large pleading eyes. Ford just looked rather amused, nudging Dipper in the ribs and whispering something to him that made Dipper smirk. Wirt just shook his head with a small smile on his face, arms supporting Yin Wei as he leaned against the wall of the mystery shack.

She had grown quite a bit in these past few months, with teeth growing in or fully formed already. Her tiny hands liked to pull on his hair, which he didn’t like very much. But who would? “Oh stop that,” he reprimanded lightly, just under his breath. “How would you like having your hair pulled?”

Of course she couldn’t understand what he was saying; she was hardly five months old after all. She merely looked at him with those calm, dark eyes. Unlike Greg, she wasn’t a baby that smiled at every second of the day. Usually she looked at everyone with certain wisdom in her eyes. Even though she couldn’t say it out loud, just that expression made him almost think that things would be okay.

“You had the same look when you were a baby,” his mother appeared next to him, a bit of flour smudged on her face. From the kitchen, Dave had a similar smudge on his face and he a ridiculous grin on his face. Wirt decided then he didn’t want to know what they had been up to. “You didn’t smile that much either. It took you almost a year to actually smile at your father.”

“Well gee, isn’t that a mystery?”

She nudged him, but didn’t conceal the smile. “I can take her from you if you want,” she indicated towards the baby. “You know, Wirt, you’re not that bad with kids. You’ll be a good dad one day.”

With that one sentence, his face turned tomato red. “Wh…what me? No, no, no, no, no, I won’t be a dad! I don’t even want kids, ow!” he made a face as his little sister grabbed his nose, her face still holding the same expression and his mother tried to suppress a giggle. He just gave her a face. “This isn’t funny, Mom! Stop her!”

“Da,” his sister released his nose, opting to pat his cheek instead before his mother took her out of his arms.

“Sorry,” his mother grinned, setting the baby girl on her hip. “It’s just that, you used to do that to your father. He hated it, but it always made me laugh.”

His father. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to imagine what it must have been like. He could barely recall the times when his father would hold him, or do anything with him really. He could recall the few times before the divorce. They would sometimes get ice cream together and he could recall that one time after getting his clarinet, his father smiled at him and ruffled his hair, saying “That’s my boy.”

So no, he wouldn’t deny that when Dave would say that to Greg, he got jealous. It wasn’t their fault, he knew that. It had been almost eight years since he’d last seen his father. A part of him wanted to just have his mother cancel the plans; what did he need his father for? What had the man ever done for him? Besides buying him his precious clarinet for his birthday one year.

“Hey, kid, got a case of the sour grapes or something?”

He jumped, realizing that Stan was talking to him. His mother excused herself, giving the older man a quick smile before heading over to where Greg was now running around with sparklers. “Careful, Greg!” she called out, stepping down the steps carefully. “Don’t go out into the road!”

“But Mom, there aren’t any cars out!”

The sun was beginning to set and from one side of the porch, Dave had come out to start grilling the hamburgers and hotdogs, smiling at the image of his wife and son. Dipper had taken the sparkler Mabel handed him and waved it around, laughing when his sister told him he wasn’t waving it around enthusiastically enough.

“Listen, Wirt,” Stan started up, startling Wirt yet again. “I know about your father.”

For a moment, there was silence again before Stan sighed, opening up a can of Pitt Cola. “Did my mom tell you?” he asked, trying not to sound irritable. It probably failed.

“No, I overheard your mom talking to you and I recognize the sound of resentment when I hear it,” the older man chuckled before taking a sip of soda. “And before you tell me it’s none of my business, hear me out.”

“Uh, okay?”

“Even if you’re angry with him, and believe me, I know how long anger and resentment can last,” the old man looked over to his twin brother, giving a smirk. “Don’t let it take control of your life. He’s still your father at the end of the day. You can be angry with him all you want, but don’t push him away. Don’t let that anger sit in you. You’ll end up unhappy for the rest of your life if you do.”

“Stan,” he looked over to where Ford was reading a book on some topic that eluded him. “Were you…upset with Ford at one point?”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Stan stretched, soda can still in his hand. “I’ve made peace, or whatever is you kids say nowadays. Just, don’t let those hurt feelings hold you back. You don’t want to end up like me.”

With that, Stan headed off down the steps and took an unlit sparkler from Mabel. He tossed it towards Ford, shouting for him to come join the party and to stop being such a nerd and put down the book. Ford just gave him a look, but set the book down and took the sparkler to join in.

Wirt just stood there, still leaning against the wall. Stan made forgiveness sound so…easy. It couldn’t be that easy, could it? He looked over to his mother, sister, and brother. Greg’s sparkler had gone out and he was saying something to their mother, who looked down at him with kind, loving eyes. He looked over to Dave, who was now whistling a tune and flipping the burgers while Mabel cheered, holding several sparklers in one hand.

Perhaps Stan was right, but that didn’t mean he was ready to forgive his father. His father probably wasn’t even sorry for what he did; would probably never be sorry for the heartache he’d caused both him and his mother.  

But he could try, couldn’t he?

He sighed, looking down to where his tattoo lay. He traced over the ink, a million thoughts now flooding his mind. Who was his great, great-Grandmother? How did she Awaken? What was her life like those thousand years ago? Did she know The Beast?

He pushed those thoughts aside, heading down the steps to where Greg had more sparklers. He took one from the smaller boy, lighting it and giving it a little wave.

For now, those deep thoughts could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have more action and probably less fluff, but you never know....


	13. Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A witch makes an appearance and Wirt receives a phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no updates in a while! Finals are creeping up and I have a lot of papers and presentations to do. Can't say when the next update'll be, but it's going to be big. You'll see why at the end >:)

_I'm heading straight for the castle,_

_They wanna make me their queen,_

_And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's saying_

_That I probably shouldn't be so mean,_

_I'm heading straight for the castle,_

_They've got the kingdom locked up,_

_And there's an old man sitting on the throne that's saying,_

_I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut_

_~Castle by Halsey~_

**(July 31, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Witttt come on, let’s go!”

“In a minute, Greg!”

Greg gave a little pout, but scampered off in the direction of his room. Probably to look for Jason Funderberker, who had mysteriously disappeared once again. Wirt sighed, raising his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation and lifted his aching arms to see the postcard again. It had arrived in the mail this morning, from Sara and the rest of his friends. She sent him pictures of them, and he instantly felt homesick.

They looked so happy without him; like he wasn’t needed in their friend group. He knew deep down this wasn’t the case, but he couldn’t help but feel that strange feeling of emptiness while looking at the image. He didn’t hate Gravity Falls; he couldn’t hate Dipper, Mabel or Pacifica. Even Annie, whom he barely even knew. It could be a whole lot worse.

“Are you ready yet?” Greg once again appeared in the kitchen, Jason tucked under his arm and a small hand placed on his hip. “You’re turning into a sloth, big brother o’ mine!”

He had to give a smile at the young boy’s sass and shook his head. “I’m ready now; let’s go.” He set down the postcard, trying to swallow down the bitter feeling that rose in his chest.

Greg peered up over the table, taking it off and examining it. “Is this from Sara?”

“Y…yeah.”

“Oh.”

For once, and Wirt thought he would never see the day, Greg went silent. The boy set the postcard back on the kitchen table, reverting the frown to a smile and ran down the hall once more, Wirt following not far behind. “Mom!” Greg called, and Wirt was tempted to plug his ears from the loud voice. “Wirt and I are taking a walk!”

From the living room, their mother peaked her head out and nodded, smiling at them softly. “Be safe,” she ordered calmly, staring directly into his eyes. “Look after your brother and stay on the path. No detours, alright?”

Greg saluted her, causing her to laugh slightly. “Yes sir young ma’am!”

“Be good Greg; listen to Wirt when he speaks.”

“Got it!”

Greg practically yanked him by the hand, dragging him out the door without much protest. The day was hot, and he instantly regretted leaving their air conditioned house. Greg didn’t seem to care; he extended his arms to take in the sunlight as Jason hopped along beside him. Despite being hot though, Gravity Falls had a charm to it. The sky was a perfect shade of blue, with beautiful evergreen trees to offer some shade. Most people were inside, not wanting to be caught in the sweltering heat, but for those who were out, Greg waved to each of them cheerfully.

“Come on!” Greg turned around, stopping and waiting for him to catch up. He hadn’t even realized his brother was so far ahead of him, and now the little boy was hopping up and down as he pretty much jogged over to him. “Come on Wirt, Annie’s waiting for us!”

“Wait, I thought you wanted to go on a walk?”

“In this heat?” Greg asked frankly, raising his eyebrow the exact same way their mother did. “Don’t be a goosey goose!”

“I am not a goose!”

He decided to ignore his little brother’s remark, a bit offended he hadn’t told them where they were going. If he wanted to visit Annie, why not just say so? Actually, come to think of it, when did Greg and Annie become friends? “Greg,” he asked, quickly catching up with his brother’s fast pace. “When did you and Annie start hanging out?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged and looked up at him with wide eyes. “A few weeks ago? She’s babysitting for Yin Wei when you’re at work.”

When did this happen? He made a mental note to ask his mother about this later. It wasn’t like he didn’t like Annie; that wasn’t the case at all. She intimidated and he would admit, scared him a little with how silent and blunt she was. Still, he didn’t know if she was exactly capable of handling kids. Despite the fact she was a lifeguard and had to be around people 24/7.

“She’s not mean, ya know,” Greg spoke up, as if he were able to read his mind. “She’s actually really nice when you get to know her. She’s really pretty when she smiles.”

He had to admire Greg’s enthusiasm. The boy thought nicely of everyone and refused to say bad things about people. It was probably why he was pretty popular at school, especially among his teachers. They just couldn’t get enough of him. “I suppose,” he sighed, thinking of the times he had spoken to her. “I just don’t know if she should babysit you and Yin Wei.”

“I’m not a baby,” Greg protested, shaking his head. “I’m a big boy!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Am too!”

“Sure you are.”

“Wirt, stop being mean to Greg.”

He gave an undignified squeak, not even sensing Annie right behind him. She was so short, compared to him. He had grown a bit more, standing at 175 centimeters and only an inch shorter than his step-father at this point. Yet Annie was so short, making him feel like a giant compared to her height of only five feet. She looked at him, unreadable as always before she turned to Greg. As her blue eyes were fixed on the boy, he could have sworn her cold gaze warmed up a bit. “Hello, Greg,” she said softly, tucking a strand of hair back.

“Annie!” he stepped back slightly as Greg hugged her, ignoring her look of discomfort. She patted his back awkwardly, relieved when the boy let go.

Greg smiled up at her, dark eyes shining brightly. “Where’s Valentina?” he asked, looking around for the other person. “She’s supposed to be here!”

“We’re meeting her there. She’s teaching a lesson right now.”

“Cool!”

Annie moved forward, taking the lead with Greg at her heels. He walked side by side with her, not exactly sure if he should say something. He figured, in a sense, she was similar to him. They both didn’t need to speak all the time and didn’t like large crowds. Maybe. He wasn’t sure if she liked working at the pool.

“I’m not going to bite,” she spoke in that bored tone she always had. “I already said I liked you.”

“Um, thanks?”

She sighed, sounding vaguely irritated. “Ask whatever question you want,” she glanced up at him, her eyes betraying no emotion as to what she was possibly thinking. “I won’t be mad.”

How was she this perceptive? He’d have to ask her that later, but right now, he didn’t think that’d be a good question. “Why did you decide to babysit my brother and sister?” he asked, not even stopping himself from blurting it out awkwardly.

She shrugged; hands stuffed in her pocket and glanced at Greg, who skipped in front of them with Jason. “It’s better than lifeguarding,” she kept looking at Greg and nodded to herself. “He’s a good kid; you don’t find ones like him very often.”

“I guess.”

“All those other kids are brats.”

He glanced at her nervously, wondering why on earth she’d want to look after his sister then. “I suppose,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “My sister, uh, isn’t a brat.”

“I never said she was,” Annie rolled her eyes, but she didn’t look angry or irritated now. “I’ve met her; she’s probably the quietest baby I’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t cry that much.”

“We’re here!”

Greg stood outside the door, Wirt now realizing it was the small gym that Gravity Falls owned. As Annie took the lead from Greg, she led them to the back of the gym, where a girl in a white suit and mask stood. Well, standing probably wasn’t the right word. She lunged forward, a sabre in her hand as she twisted her wrist in an intricate way. When Greg let out an impressed look, she stopped and lifted the mask from her face to reveal long, messy dark brown hair.

“Hey,” she greeted, waving the sword at them in greeting. “Greg, Wirt, long time no see!”

“Hi Valentina!” Greg hurried over to her, staring at the sword impressively. “What kind of sword is that? It’s not very pointy.”

“It’s a sabre,” the tall girl replied, showing it off with pride. “It’s a French type of sword that I use for Fencing.”

“Cool. Wirt tried to use a sword once at a fair, but it smacked him in the face.”

“Hey!”

He noticed Annie smirk and made a face at that. The two girls looked to each other, the two of them sharing a knowing look. Setting the mask on the ground, Valentina reverted her eyes back to Greg. “So what other embarrassing stories about your brother do you have?” she asked, a mischievous smirk growing on her lips.

“Well one time Wirt-“

“Oh no!” He covered his hand over his little brother’s mouth, Greg protesting with a muffled voice. He felt the tips of his ears turn pink as Valentina giggled; Annie’s face not betraying anything. “I don’t…I don’t really have any embarrassing stories.”

“Oh come on Wirt, we all do!” Valentina laughed, nudging Annie in the side. “I’ve known Annie since kindergarten. Did you know she used to wear pink ribbons in her hair?”

He never thought it would happen, but he had to hold back a laugh as Annie’s cheeks turned bright pink. The blonde glared up at the tall girl, though she didn’t really look angry. Embarrassed was the proper word. “And you used to put your mom’s lipstick all over your face. You looked like a clown.”

“A beautiful clown,” Valentina smirked, and Annie rolled her eyes. The tall dark haired girl wrapped her arm around the blonde’s waist, pulling her closer. “Oh come on, you have to admit I was beautiful.”

“I’ll die before admitting that.”

“You’re no fun,” she pouted, but gave the short blonde a quick kiss on the cheek. When she noticed him staring, a dark eyebrow raised in question and she tilted her head. “Problem?”

“No,” he shook his head quickly, looking to Greg who seemed to be perfectly at ease. “So, you two are together?”

“Obviously,” Annie sighed, crossing her arms with bright pink cheeks. “And relax, your brother already knows.”

“What?”

“He caught us one day in the park,” Valentina didn’t seem upset by this, ruffling the boy’s head affectionately. “And he said he wouldn’t tell anyone. You got a pretty awesome little brother, you know that?”

“Yeah,” he looked to Greg again, giving a tight smile. His brother was fitting in better than he ever did when he was the kid’s age. It almost made him jealous. Almost. “So, what do you guys want to do? We could, I guess, stand here in the gym.”

“Let’s get ice cream,” Valentina put the sword back in the bag near her, motioning her head to the locker room. “I’m just going to get changed real quickly. Don’t you even think of leaving without me!”

“Like we could,” Annie snorted, giving another smirk when Valentina blew them all a quick kiss before dashing off. The blonde girl shook her head, having the fight off the smile. “She’s something alright.”

“You seem happy with her,” he commented nervously, hoping the short girl would kick his head off. “I think?”

“Yeah,” Annie looked to the ground, fingering the necklace around her neck. It was one of those friendship necklaces, the ones that said best friend or something like that. It looked old and worn out, but it was clearly something she treasured or had for years. “She’s my best friend.”

“Oh.”

“Greg’s your best friend, isn’t he?” she looked at him with those intense blue eyes, leaving no room for him to argue. “He’s the reason you keep going; you’d do anything for him, wouldn’t you?”

Well, he certainly wasn’t expecting her to say that, but she wasn’t entirely off. While he couldn’t consider his little brother his best friend, he would agree that he would do anything for him; do anything to protect him. He thought back to that cold night in The Unknown, where he had almost made a deal with The Beast just to send his little brother home. “Yeah,” he nodded his head, glancing to where Greg was playing with Jason. “I’d do anything for him.”

“My, my, how very touching.”

He hadn’t even realized someone had walked in or opened the door to the gym. He noticed Annie’s eyes widen, face going drastically pale. They both turned at the sound of the voice, paying sharp attention to the figure of a woman walk towards them. Despite it being very hot out, she was dressed in a long black dress and tight sleeves, short heels clicking against the floor. He felt Greg take his hand, eyes wide at the figure walking towards them. “Who is she?” the boy whispered to him. “She looks like a witch.”

How she looked like a witch, he would never know. Then again, now that he looked at the woman, she kind of fit the image. Only without a pointy hat, broom and a black cat. Or maybe she did have those things and just left them at home. Who knew?

“Walter,” she greeted him, looking him up and down before giving a smirk. “I can see why he likes you. You’re definitely a Liang.”

Great. Fantastic. She was working with The Beast. Could he never catch a break? “Tell him to go away,” he grumbled, knowing full well it was a moot point. “Who are you?”

“You may call me Salome,” she waved him off with manicured black nails. She then turned to Annie, towering over the small blonde. “Annie, it’s been a long time. My, how you’ve grown. Or, well, not grown so much. But you’re definitely not a little girl anymore.”

“…Mom…” Annie looked so shocked, eyes still wide. “You…what…what are you doing here?”

“I just came to visit my favorite daughter?” Salome replied, hugging the blonde. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in…what is it now, nine years?”

The shocked look soon faded from Annie’s face, the surprise now fusing into anger. “What are you doing here? I thought you made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want anything to do with Dad and I. Why are you here now? What’s your business?”

“My, how rude you are. Talking to your own mother like that,” the woman feigned hurt, but he noticed a spark of irritation flash in her eyes. “I would be wise in how you address me, little girl.”

“Go to hell!”

He didn’t even have a chance to react when Salome whipped her hand back. A green beam shot out of her hand, wrapping around Annie and slamming her to the wall. The blonde let out a cry of shock that quickly transformed into pain. The green beam still held her against the wall, the process turning Salome’s eyes green as well. “I told you not to make me mad,” Salome clicked her tongue and shook her head in disappointment. “You always were a petulant child. It’s too bad you always failed to disappoint.”

“Leave Annie alone!” Greg let go of his hand, giving the witch a quick kick in the shin. “Let her go! She’s not a disappointment!”

“Little brat!” the witch growled, her wrist flexing. He moved forward, pulling Greg back so he could stand in front of him and take the impact of whatever she was going to do. Nothing ever came, but her cold eyes stared at him with mild irritation. “I can’t hurt you,” she growled, miffed by that fact. “But my master said nothing about your little brother.”

“I’m going to take a wild guess and say your master is The Beast,” he rolled his eyes, surprised that he wasn’t freaking out by this point. “Damn, could this get any worse?”

“Wirt,” Greg hissed. “You owe a nickel to the swear jar!”

“Greg! Now is not the time!”

“What is going on in here?”

He cringed at the sound of Valentina’s voice. She had changed, now adorned in a black tank top and jean shorts. When she saw Annie, her dark eyes rose with horror and she glared fiercely at Salome. “What are you doing; let her go!”

“If you insist,” Salome waved her hand, like Annie was a speck of dirt she could just brush away. “I’m surprised my darling little daughter has any friends. She was such a lone wolf as a girl. Just like her pathetic father.”

The moment she dropped Annie, Valentina ran over to her, scooping the barely conscious Annie in her arms. “What are you talking about?” she inquired hotly, holding her girlfriend protectively. “Who are you?”

“Anneliese’s mother,” Salome looked at the blonde girl with disdain, turning back to look at him and Greg. “I am part of a coven that follows The Beast. I have served him for five hundred years and in those years, I have become the leader of the coven when my mother, Adelaide, died. Annie is my daughter, unfortunately.”

“Why unfortunately?” Valentina growled threateningly.

“She has no magic. No skills of magic at all,” Salome sighed, as if this was such a tragedy. “I waited six years for her to show signs, but nothing happened. Early childhood is usually when children of witches begin to show signs of magic attraction, but not mine. A disappointment, really. If she had magic, I would have taken her with me and we would have forgotten all about her father. But, I suppose it wasn’t meant to be. So I left her and her father with the intentions to never return. Until now.”

“What do you want?” he asked, now feeling incredibly sorry for the blonde. What if his father said something like that? “Are you just here to gloat?”

“No,” Salome sighed again. “She has something of mine and I want it back. However, my master has not given me the order to retrieve it yet.”

“Well you can leave now,” from her spot on the floor, Valentina didn’t look very intimidating. Then he remembered she had a sword not too far away. And she knew how to use it. “Leave Annie alone, or I’ll run my sword through you!”

“I’d like to see you try, little girl,” Salome seemed amused by that, giving a little chuckle. “A little mortal such as you couldn’t possibly hurt me.”

“You wanna find out?”

“Wait,” he moved quickly, placing himself between the witch and Valentina. Arms spread out, he nervously addressed the witch. “You came here and announced your presence; what more do you want?”

The witch stared down at him with cold, unfeeling eyes. For a moment, it was like looking directly into Annie’s eyes; only the witch was far more evil. Her hand reached out, gripping his face intensely. She studied him, eyebrow furrowing in concentration, as if she was searching for something in particular. “You all have her eyes, did you know that? I was around when Wu bound my master to the lantern. I’ve kept an eye on all her descendants. I must admit I hated your grandmother, Zhou, who cast my mother into The Unknown.”

“Your mother?”

“Adelaide, the leader of the coven before myself,” she snarled at him, lips curling back unpleasantly. “And from what I hear, you were partially responsible for her ultimate demise. Too bad you couldn’t have killed Auntie Whispers while you were at it.”

He had the urge to roll his eyes and pray to whoever was up there to strike him down, but nothing came. “She was going to put sheep wool in our heads!” he protested, disturbed by how this didn’t seem to bother her. “Besides, I didn’t know night air would kill her. Aren’t those in The Unknown dead already?”

“Things are more complicated than you think, little Liang,” she sneered, and in the distance, he could hear Annie begin to wake up. “You think everyone in The Unknown has accepted they’re dead? You’d be surprised how many of them still believe they’re alive.”

The thought was unsettling and all he could think of was Beatrice. Surely Beatrice knew she was…dead, right? After plenty of research, he found where she had been buried along with her family. He didn’t have the heart to tell Greg that Beatrice had been dead for at least one hundred and ninety years. For Winter Break that year while they were visiting Dave’s parents in Salem, Massachusetts, he had found where she was buried. A house fire had destroyed her home along with her entire family. There had been no survivors.

“What he sees in you, I haven’t the slightest idea,” she then cocked her own head, pausing to reconsider. “Actually, never mind, I can. Wu was more than just a pretty face, you know? It’s a shame you know nothing of your great-grandmother; she was a real pain in my side. Perhaps one day you’ll find out why your bloodline is so special.”

“Tell me!” he stepped towards her, frowning as she stepped back gracefully. “Why me? Why can my family do special things? Why do we know so much about the supernatural?”

“Another time, little Liang,” Salome grinned, looking back to Annie who was blinking up at Valentina wearily. “Farwell, little warrior. Do make sure to take care, now.”

* * *

 

He hadn’t intended to leave Annie and Valentina by themselves like that, but he knew he had to get Greg out of there. The minute Salome disappeared in a flash of green dust, he gathered the boy in his arms; with Greg protesting loudly at being picked up. If Valentina cared, she didn’t say anything but scoop Annie into her arms, saying something about calling him later. Did she even have his number? Well, they did have a home phone so…

“Wirt, put me down!” Greg bemoaned, squirming in his arms. “I’m not a baby; I can walk!”

“Oh, uh, right,” he paused in his walk, face now turning red as people on the sidewalk and store windows were staring at him. “Sorry, Greg.”

Greg only shook his head, like a parent scolding a child. “Don’t be a worry wart; I could take that mean old witch! We’ve defeated one before!”

“That was pure luck,” he took his little brother’s hand, the sight of their house coming into view as he quickly dragged his brother home. “Besides, Beatrice was the one who defeated Adelaide.”

For a moment, Greg was quiet. When they reached the steps of their home, the boy pulled back and looked up at him with large eyes. “Wirt,” the boy wet his lips, eyes furrowing with uncharacteristic nervousness. “Beatrice is never coming back, is she?”

“Greg,” he felt his heart jump in his chest, sweating even harder now. He hadn’t expected this question to come up. Out of all the things Greg could have asked, why this? “Greg,” he started up again, not entirely sure how to word it. “Beatrice is somewhere…far away. It’s not easy for her to travel.”

“Don’t lie to me!” he flinched at the hardness of Greg’s tone. His usual childlike voice now calm and full of a maturity he somehow gained in the past few years. Greg bit his lip, staring down at his shoes with pink cheeks. “Beatrice is a ghost, isn’t she?”

He felt his hand twitch, every fiber of his being tempted to lie and say that it wasn’t true. That Beatrice was alive and well. “She’s not alive anymore Greg,” he had to tell Greg the truth; it wasn’t fair to lie to him like this. It had been Greg’s life in danger as well. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you; I didn’t…I didn’t want you to be hurt…”

He felt Greg take his hand again, dark eyes full of understanding and wisdom beyond his young years. “Lying’s bad, Wirt,” the boy nodded somberly, squeezing his hand. “Mom says that liars don’t get dessert for dinner.”

“I guess no dessert for me then,” he laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I am sorry, Greg. Everything is my fault. I didn’t mean to put you in danger.”

“Please,” Greg released his hand, jumping up the steps of their porch one leg at a time. “Those witches don’t stand a chance! Don’t you agree, Captain?”

He found himself smiling, following Greg back in the house. “Whatever you say, Greg.”

* * *

 

_He had to be dreaming again. It was the only logical reason to explain why he was wearing a dress._

_He flushed, cheeks turning the same shade of bright red as the dress. This was just demeaning! He didn’t wear dresses; he wasn’t a girl! He pulled at the silky material, the feeling of it cool against his fingertips. He would admit it wasn’t too hot and it felt rather weightless against his skin, but that didn’t mean this still wasn’t embarrassing. What if someone he knew saw him? He’d never be able to live this down!_

_Speaking of which, where was he? He noticed others move around him, dressed in clothes that seemed to be formal. He maneuvered his way through the throngs of people, trying to avoid bumping into to them, only to realize they weren’t solid. No, they were transparent, as if they were ghosts. He couldn’t make out their faces for they were moving too quickly, lost in the sound of music playing from an orchestra nearby._

_The walls were made up of mirrors and from a gap between two dancers, he could see himself. The bright red dress rivaled the color of blood, with a sash of light gold, blue and orange designs. Long, translucent sleeves with the same color practically reached to the floor. Slippers with the same pattern adorned his feet, and the same mortification that was present earlier returned. Why was he wearing a girl’s dress? Why was he here?_

_“Don’t you look ravishing?” a voice that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Ice cold hands wrapped around his waist. He didn’t protest as he was turned around, meeting the pale eyes of The Beast. “Red is a good color on you, lover boy.”_

_He cringed at being in The Beast’s arms, attempting to pull away. It didn’t work and the demon’s grip on him tightened. “Let me go,” he growled, trying to get into the fighting stance his mother showed him. “Now!”_

_“No need to be pushy,” the demon purred, spinning him across the floor. His pale hands grasped his, pulling him closer to his body. “That dress belonged to her.”_

_“Who? My great-grandmother? What did you do to her?” he asked, no, demanded. “Why my family? What are you all hiding?”_

_“No need for all these questions,” they spun across the floor, clumsy on his part and his cheeks turned flaming crimson. The Beast seemed amused by all this, in the lead and dragging him across the room gracefully. “How is the search for the vessels going? Terribly, I assume.”_

_“Why do you insist on stalking me?” he groaned, rolling his eyes. “Leave me alone.”_

_The music stopped and all at once, the dancers disappeared in a flash of smoke. The lights had dimmed and all of sudden, he was pressed up against the mirror. The Beast’s pale hand placed dangerously close to his neck, fingers dancing on his collarbone. “It would be unwise to speak to me in such a rude fashion,” the demon hissed in his ear. “It doesn’t matter what happened in the past, you are mine! When my partners and I achieve our goals, I will come for you. You can run, and you can try to hide, but no matter what you do, I will make you mine.”_

_“No!”_

_“But I know you want me,” The Beast smirked, face now very close to his. “You can deny it all you want, but you missed me.”_

_“I did not!”_

_“It’s amusing to watch you lie to yourself,” The Beast chuckled, tracing a long finger down his cheek. “But it’s time for you to be honest. You miss The Unknown. You miss being the Pilgrim. You miss the sense of excitement and danger you felt there. You miss The Unknown and all that came with it.”_

His eyes flashed open, and he took a large inhale of air. He looked down at his pajamas; just to be sure the red dress wasn’t there. The beep from his alarm clock sounded and he glanced over, noticing it was eight fifteen. August first. He’d been in this town for nearly two months. So much had happened…

His heart slammed in his chest as he dragged himself out of bed. The Beast wasn’t right, was he? He didn’t miss The Unknown, did he? Damn it, he hated doubting himself! He ran a hand through his messy dark hair, head tilting upwards as he heard a clanging sound coming from the kitchen and Dave’s grumbling as something scattered to the floor.

From Yin Wei’s room, he could hear his mother humming as she helped the baby get ready for the day. Greg was still asleep, which was weird considering he was up at six thirty every day. Yesterday’s commotion must have taken its toll on him; so he couldn’t blame the kid for sleeping in.

He jumped when the phone on his night stand buzzed. He hurried over to his table, tripping over his shoes that were lying precariously on the floor. He grabbed the phone, moving a stray bang out of his eye. “Hello?” he answered into the phone.

_“Hello, Walter.”_

“Uh…hi Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Wirt's dad finally makes an official appearance. He'll be in the next chapter, which I hope you're all ready for. 
> 
> Link for what Wirt was wearing: https://inmychina.wordpress.com/tag/ancient-chinese-clothing/


	14. Because of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day with a boy and his father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals are done! Yay! I have a job now, so who knows when I'll update next? Summer has officially started for me and I cannot wait to add more chapters and quite possibly, finish this story. It will have a sequel! The ending is possibly going to kill all the feelings you have for these characters. I know it's going to kill mine.

_Because of you,_

_I never stray too hard from the sidewalk,_

_Because of you,_

_I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt,_

_Because of you,_

_I find it hard to trust not only me but everyone around me,_

_Because of you,_

_I am afraid_

_~Because of you by Kelly Clarkson~_

**(August 4, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Do you have the Windex?”

“I thought you had it!”

“Wirt, the windows are dirty! I need the Windex!”

From his spot on the couch next to his dad, Greg watched his mother and brother run around the house making last minute adjustments. For the past three days, the two of them were running around the house cleaning, vacuuming, polishing, and getting the best dining ware out. Their mom even made him clean his room! Why would Wirt’s dad even want to go in his room? And then he had to go clean Yin Wei’s room, which wasn’t even messy to begin with!

“They’re acting all bananas,” he shook his head, watching as his mother began frantically spraying down the widows; Wirt polishing the TV for the third time in the past three days. “It’s just Wirt’s dad.”

“There’s a lot of history between the three of them, Buddy,” his dad shook his head, supporting Yin Wei in his arms as he watched Wirt and their mother run around. “Now, you know to be on your best behavior, right?”

“I know,” he sighed in exasperation. What was with his parents? Didn’t they understand Wirt’s dad was just an ordinary human being? It wasn’t like he was a robot, was he? “Dad, you don’t think Wirt’s dad is going to steal her away, do you?”

“Of course not! Why would you ask that?” his dad looked completely astounded by that question. Why he was, Greg didn’t really know why. He thought it was a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. “Your mother is not going to leave me for Mortimer.”

“Okay.”

“I may not like Mortimer,” he added under his breath, but loud enough for Greg to hear. “But we will both be on our best behavior. Got it?”

“I know,” he nodded, sliding off the couch. “Besides, I know you’re a better guy than Wirt’s dad!”

His dad quickly glanced over at their mom, probably afraid that she heard that last statement. “Greg, let’s talk about something else. You excited for school?”

Yuck. Why did his parents keep bringing up school? It wasn’t for another six weeks! He had a whole month of sweet freedom before going to boring old school. It wasn’t like he was nervous or anything like that. He had friends! Well, friends a bit older than him, but friendships came easy to him. So no, he wasn’t nervous. Not at all.

“Honey, do you want any help?” his dad stood up, balancing Yin Wei on his hip. “I can clean up the yard if you want.”

“Oh fiddlesticks!” their mother pushed a loose strand of her black hair back, her ponytail starting to become undone. “Wirt, we forgot to clean the yard!”

Wirt paused in his polishing, eyes widening to the size of golf balls. “I thought you had it taken care of!” Wirt exclaimed, waving his hands in the air. “How messy is it?”

“I don’t know!”

“Mom!” Wirt complained, hands grasping his dark hair and he looked at her in horror. “You know he’ll comment about it!”

“You think I don’t know that?” their mother snapped at him, looking equally as stressed as he did. She took a breath, closing her eyes briefly before speaking again. “Okay, let’s not panic. We still have plenty of time before he gets here.”

Wirt just shook his head, clearly not at ease. His face had a green shade to it, as if the thought of his father seeing their yard was sickening. “Why did I agree to this? This is a bad idea; can we just call him back and say we changed our minds and that I never want to see him again?”

“Wirt,” their mother sighed in exasperation. He shook his head as well, reminding himself this was the one hundredth time Wirt had asked this question. Their mother set down her cleaning bottle, placing her rubber gloved hands on his shoulders. It looked strange now, considering that Wirt was taller than her and seemed to be growing taller every day. “It’s just for one day and then he’ll be gone. And if he gets to be too much for you to handle, then give me a call and I’ll sort things out. Just give him a chance, Wirt. I know Mortimer is far from being the greatest father of the year, but I think he truly does want to reach out to you.”

“Whatever,” Wirt grumbled, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “I haven’t seen the guy since I was seven. It’s been almost nine years since I’ve seen him. Face it; he doesn’t care about you or me.”

She sighed again, sounding more tired than anything else. “Just go get ready; he’ll be here any minute now. I’ll try to keep him detained for a few minutes.”

It was kind of funny seeing his mother and brother freak out, though he had to admit it did get kind of annoying. After all, it was just Wirt’s dad and in his opinion, they were getting worked up for nothing. Though the more he thought about it, the more he realized how little he knew about Mortimer Palmer. The name wasn’t brought up very often and Wirt certainly didn’t like to talk about him. He’d asked their mother once, but she didn’t offer much about him and said in the kindest way possible that it wasn’t any of his concern and that he shouldn’t worry, but the man was a mystery.

From what he did know, his mother and Wirt’s father married immediately after graduating college and for the first two years things were good, or so she said. Then she brought up that she wanted kids and he didn’t, but they ended up having his big brother. Then for some reason she wouldn’t say, they divorced and she found his dad and had him. Now they were a happy family. Just him, Wirt, his mother and father, and now Yin Wei.

He just felt it was odd to have another person in the picture.

He sat on the living room couch, continuing to watch his mother run around the room to get things organized. His father had disappeared during the conversation between his mother and Wirt. He held his baby sister, short arms curled protectively around her.  For a moment, he briefly wondered what Wirt thought of him when he was their sister’s age. The more he thought of it, the more he realized their mother had remarried not too long after her divorce, with Wirt only being seven years old.

He frowned, feeling uncharacteristically grumpy. Why _was_ Mortimer Palmer coming to visit? If what Wirt was saying turned out to be true, it had been nine years since Wirt had seen his dad. Why was he choosing to visit now? What was his reason for coming back into his big brother’s life and making him freak out. It wasn’t fair!

He wanted Wirt to have a good relationship to his dad; he truly did. But just what kind of man was Mortimer Palmer?

_Ding dong_

He jumped in his seat and from her spot near the window, his mother jumped too. She practically threw down the bottle of bleach and stripped the latex gloves from her hands, revealing the tattoo of their family. Pulling back the sleeve of his own shirt, he looked at the fresh ink engraved into his skin. He’d overheard what the Awakening was, but how could he awaken the powers that were supposedly inside of him? He wanted to protect Wirt from The Beast and his weird obsession with his older brother.

“You have a nice home,” a voice from the hallway echoed, a deep but not too deep voice resonating off the walls. “You look good, Xiāng ling.”

He waited in anticipation, trying so hard to picture what this man could look like. Maybe he would be like a famous rock star from New York! Or fancy dressed European with a striped turtleneck and a biuret!

Instead, it was a man in casual, yet formal looking clothes. He was a lot taller than his own dad, who stood roughly at one hundred and seventy-five centimeters. He had long legs and was lean and relatively healthy looking. His hair, a dark oaky brown that was the same as Wirt’s was neatly combed and parted. Certainly a lot different from Wirt’s always messy hair. He narrowed his eyes a little, finding the similarities to be a little eerie. This man was all sharp angles while Wirt had more of their mother’s facial structure. They shared the same long and straight nose and he could see a lot of his older brother in this man. With the way Wirt was continuing to grow, he would eventually get past the long and awkward phase of having long limbs.

“Mort, this is Gregory, my youngest son,” his mother moved across the room, taking Yin Wei from him, giving a subtle signal for him to stand up. “And this is my daughter, Yin Wei.”

“Lovely,” Mortimer said in a tone that stated otherwise. He felt a touch of color to his cheeks, but he couldn’t figure out why. It felt like he was being…dismissed in a sense. “How’s the business going? Is David sure he can handle three kids and an entrepreneurship?”

He watched as his mother’s jaw set and a steely look formed in her eyes. “We’re doing well, for your information,” she started coolly, shifting the baby onto her hip and tucking more hair behind her ear. “How’s New York? Dreadfully busy and crowded, I imagine.”

It was weird seeing them talk. Sure they were polite, but he could sense something between them. It wasn’t good or bad, but it was something that Wirt would describe it as awkward. That his father hadn’t really wanted the divorce, but hadn’t been entirely against it either. 

“Where’s Wirt?” Mortimer asked, giving a slight sigh. “His lack of attention to time hasn’t changed.”

He found himself frowning, dislike growing even further for this man. How could he talk about Wirt like that? From the corner of his eye, he noticed his mother glare at the man, jaw tightening again. “Don’t screw this up,” she hissed, thinking that Greg couldn’t hear her. “You’ve hurt him enough in the past; do it again and you won’t ever hear from him again!”

“So you won’t let me see him then, is that it? I’m pretty sure our court agreement says that I have rights too.”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “When have you ever volunteered to have him over for a week or more? How many holidays and birthdays have you missed? Mortimer, you have never done anything for him; never wanted to do anything for him. Why now?”

“Do you want him to spend the day with me or not? He’s my child too, Xiāng ling,” Mortimer hissed back at her, brown eyes narrowing. “If you don’t want me to spend time with him, then say so!”

“I’m not saying that; I’m just reminding you that if you hurt him, I will do something about it,” Greg looked to his mother, swallowing tightly. He didn’t like that look on her face; he’d seen it before when some strange man spoke to him in the park once in their old home. She then sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Just, don’t mess this up. He’s almost sixteen; he’s old enough to push you away forever. Do you really want that?”

Mortimer didn’t even have a chance to respond to that, for a new voice entered the room. “Dad?” Wirt stood at the top of the stairs, dressed in a nice looking dark blue button up short sleeve shirt and dark jeans. His hair was combed nicely for once, but he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Wirt,” Mortimer greeted, and if Greg didn’t know any better, he sounded a little nervous. He kept his face composed, but emotion danced in his dark brown eyes. “Look at you; almost a man.”

He watched as Wirt’s face turned pink, but he didn’t know why. What did Wirt’s dad even mean? Wirt wasn’t a man; he was a teenager! “Y…Yeah, I uh, guess,” Wirt stammered and paled a bit when his father rolled his eyes at his stuttering. “So… where do you want to go?”

“Well it seems you still haven’t stopped stuttering,” Mortimer commented, but one look from their mother made him pause. He cleared his throat, nodding once towards the front door. “There is a dinner in town that I’ve heard is good.”

“Greasy’s,” Wirt answered, nodding his head awkwardly. “It’s pretty good.”

“Do you want to go get lunch?”

Wirt looked towards their mother, who gave him a supportive smile. He gave his older brother a wink and a thumb’s up, which Wirt made a face at. He walked down the stairs, grip tight on the railing as he headed towards his father with a shaky smile. “Lunch sounds good.”

He noticed their mother give a small sigh of relief and she smiled at the two of them as they got ready to leave. Then she headed off into the kitchen, humming something under her breath. Wirt ruffled his head well naturedly, giving him a nervous smile as he looked towards his father’s retreating back. “Wish me luck,” his whispered before taking off out the door.

“Good bye, Gregory,” Mortimer nodded towards him briefly, a thin smile on his thin lips. “Have a nice day.”

They stared at each other for a brief moment before the older man turned away. Now Greg could make things up; he loved inventing wild stories to entertain people, but he was not lying when he saw something in Mortimer’s eyes flash. For just a single moment, his eyes turned to a combination of pink and yellow outlined in blue.

By the time he blinked, Mortimer had already turned away, closing the front door quietly behind him. All Greg could do was stand in the hallway, biting his lip and looking down to where Jason had appeared beside him.

“Mr. President,” he stated, staring at the front door in apprehension. “I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s go tell Lady Mom!”

~

Lunch was, well, to put it mildly, awkward.

For the longest time, he and his father just stared at anything they could. Just so they wouldn’t have to face and talk to each other. He drummed his fingers silently on the plastic-like material of the booth, eyes drifting out the window to where a blue bird perched just right outside. His thoughts immediately drifted towards Beatrice, leaving a guilty, bitter taste in his mouth.

They had taken a trip to Salem to go see the sites and visit David’s parents. He’d looked up Beatrice and her family, the girl having given him her full name a little bit before they left The Unknown. A house fire was the cause of death, and he only discovered this after months of researching and digging. By the time he finally visited her grave, he felt nothing but sadness. She’d helped him and Greg so much, and didn’t even stop trying to help even when he was mad at her. He hoped that she was alright back in The Unknown and a part of him wondered if she even knew she was dead.

“Wirt.”

He jumped, nearly hitting his head on the window. His father made a face at him, disapproving his clumsiness. “Uh, yeah?” he asked weakly, rubbing the side of his head.

“Are you ready to order?”

He noticed Lazy eyed Susan standing to the right side of him, smiling in a pleasant manner. He noticed his father couldn’t take his eyes off her; staring at her lazy eye in amazement. He set down his menu, giving the woman his order. “I’ll have a cheese burger with no pickles and onions on the side. Oh, and uh, fries please.”

“I’ll have the same,” his father ordered politely. “With a salad instead of fries, please.”

She left, leaving them again in an awkward silence. His father glanced at his watch, occasionally checking his phone for messages. “I didn’t know you disliked pickles on your cheeseburger,” he blurted out, now feeling incredibly stupid for saying that. “I can’t stand any on mine and-“

“Yes,” his father looked up from his phone, giving a small smile. “I can’t stand having pickles on anything.”

“Oh.”

Gosh, was there anything they could talk about? This was his father; he could see himself in the man! Even if he did have a stronger resemblance to his mother at times, if he looked hard enough, he could see his father’s reflection in his eyes. Yet, he hadn’t seen the man since he was a small child and at that age, the man had seemed like an imposing giant. Now here they were, almost close to the same height and the more he looked at his father, the older he looked. Even though he was nearing forty, he could see small bits of gray settling in. He had small frown lines on his forehead and he looked rather tired. His work, he remembered his father always enjoying his work, must be stressing him out.

Work…wait! Something they could talk about!

“So how’s work?” he asked, giving a tiny sigh of relief when the man put his phone down. “Is it going good?”

“Very,” his father smiled and took a quick sip of water from his cup. “We’ve made some great progress. We’ve finally gotten permission to set up a portion of the company over on the West Coast and hopefully expand it even further. These last few years, we’ve partnered with business partners in France, England, Spain, Portugal, and Norway. Now we’re opening one up in Oregon and hopefully in California.”

“That’s...good,” he tried to fight the bitterness down; the fact that his father got more emotional about his business than him. “So, what does that mean for you? Did you get a promotion or something?”

His father let out a little chuckle, and he felt embarrassed. His father, if he was reading this right, was laughing at him. “I did get a promotion,” the man nodded, moving his glass when Susan came back with their food. “I’m now the CEO of the company here on the West Coast. When the building is finished, I’ll be moving here to Oregon.”

He felt his stomach lurch forward violently, staring at his father in shock. “You’re…you’re moving here?”

“Not to Gravity Falls; God no,” his father looked around the place in a disgusted manner. He knew his father hated small towns; he’d grown up in one and told him once that he found it rather restricting. “I’ll be moving to Salem; that’s where we’re setting up the company’s building. I was going to tell your mother, but the thought must have slipped my mind.”

He didn’t know what to think. Salem was at least four hours away from Gravity Falls. This was the closest his father had ever lived near him after the divorce. However, what did this mean for them? “That’s great,” he gave a fake smile; something he’d perfected over the years. “I’m really happy for you.”

His father seemed so pleased to hear that. His eyes seemed to light up and the rest of lunch was spent with him talking about the company he worked for and how he’d risen in the ranks. Never once did he ask how he felt about moving, about his near-death experience, about his sister being born, or even his life in general.

It left a burning feeling course throughout his veins. This man…didn’t care about him. Why was he foolish enough into thinking he did? Why did he agree to this; why hadn’t there been some alarm or something tell him that this was a bad idea? He chewed his food morosely, nodding here and there as his father spoke.

The man paid for lunch and the two of them headed out again. Once more, he felt the nervousness. What would they do now; what was there to do in Gravity Falls that would interest his father? The nearest city besides Seattle was an hour away and he was pretty sure his father wouldn’t like anything else the small town had to offer. Why was it so damn hard to please the man?

It’d been this way all his life; nothing he did made his father happy or proud. The only moment he could think of was when he signed up to play the clarinet in school. Apparently he did as well and was so proud, saying that his son would one day play in a famous symphony and become famous. For the longest time, that’s what he wanted to do. Then he found a book of Chinese poems lying on the coffee table one day. He couldn’t read it, but he curled up next to his mother and listened to her speak, her voice soft and gentle like the verses.

“Do you mind if we stop at my motel for a moment?” his father asked once they were in his car; an expensive Volvo c70. “I believe I forgot something there.”

He had no idea what his father could be forgetting; he had everything he needed for their day together. As they drove past the buildings and other establishments, the sinking feeling came back. What would his father need that was so important? He had his wallet, car keys, and everything else he would need. What else was there?

They pulled up to the small motel, his father making a displeased face at it. “I know it’s cheap and well, rather ugly, but it was the nearest one.”

He felt annoyed by that comment. He knew the people who owned the motel, well; he had come to know them. The Chiu family ran the motel that many tourists stayed at. Despite being a small town, the place was very well kept and had a homey feel to it. The family was very nice, especially to him and Greg because they were friends with their eccentric daughter, Candy. Mrs. Chiu was also a friend of their mother’s from college, so that was an added bonus to them. With his father insulting their business, he couldn’t help but feel even more annoyed with him.

His father stepped to his door, putting the key in the lock and opening it up. The room smell of pine trees; fresh and strong. The bed had been made some time after his father left to come get him and the suitcase lay neatly on the unused bed. The wall paper, a soft pale blue had recently been repainted and the wooden floor had been polished not too long either. His father closed the door behind them, moving across the room to his bed.

“I almost forgot this brief case,” his father indicated towards the pale gray metal contraption lying next to his bed. “I need it for when we get to the city.”

He blinked, looking towards the brief case in confusion. “Why?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.

“I have a meeting in the city in two hours; so we need to get moving,” his father looked at him, giving a deep sigh. “This meeting is important, Wirt. Stop giving me that look.”

“What look?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall, trying to appear indifferent. “You mean the look mom gave you when you cancelled dinner plans with her? The look she gave you when you ignored her requests and when you arrived home really late on her birthday? The look she gave you when you ignored me every time I tried to get your attention?”

His father froze, turning pink in the face at the reminder of those memories. He found himself trembling, surprised by how quickly those words tumbled out. Did he just snap at his father? Did he really just…oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god….

“Walter,” his father stood at full height, running a hand down his face in exasperation. “There is no need to talk about that. You know how important work is to me; it’s how I make a living in this world, after all.”

“Yes, because your work is so important. Much more important than your only son.”

“Please, Walter,” his father moved towards him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “I…I know we haven’t had very much connection in the past. I know I haven’t been the most ideal father; I never wanted to be one. There is something,” he paused, looking extremely awkward and uncomfortable. “There is something I want to ask you.”

He looked up at his father, frowning deeply. “What?”

“I wanted to know if you wanted to move in with me.”

It felt as if a tone of bricks had just collapsed on him. He pulled away from his father, stepping back several feet away from him. “What?” he asked, disbelief pouring from his voice. “You want me to move in with you? Why?”

“Well,” his father wiped his face again, paling slightly. “You’re getting older; you’re not a child anymore and I thought it would be a good idea. I could find connections for you; set up internships or something else that would look good on your college applications. Your mother…well, I just don’t think with the income she and David make will be enough for your future.”

He felt his face burn hotly; anger now replacing the shock. “Are you insulting mom?” he asked, voice low enough to make his father surprised. “Are you out of your mind? What on earth makes you think I would want to live with you? What have you ever done for me that would make you think that I would want to do that?”

“It was just a suggestion,” his father placed his hands on his hips, glaring at him. “Now stop being overdramatic.”

“Over dramatic? You have _never_ done anything for me! The last time I saw you was when I was seven! Seven! All you ever did for me was call a few times and send birthday cards, but that was it! Where were you when I almost died? Oh wait, too busy doing work!”

“Walter, keep your voice down!” his father hissed, glancing quickly towards the closed and blinded window. “The neighbors will hear you!”

He snorted, rolling his eyes. “And what, ruin your oh so perfect reputation? We can’t have that, can we? This is why mom left you! You’re a selfish and uncaring jerk who only cares about how much money he makes!”

He didn’t see the slap come until it was too late. The smack whipped his head to side, cheek now throbbing with pain. It was a blur, something that didn’t process in until he pressed a hand to his now tender cheek. His father backed away, looking horrified and his face had gone white. “Walter…” his father could barely speak, taking a slight step forward. “I…I didn’t…”

It reminded him of that one day, during the last few days before his parents’ marriage crumbled. He’d been in his father’s office, a place he’d never been allowed to go into. He knew he could get into trouble, but he did it anyway. He had accidently tripped, sending a rather large stack of papers across the room. His father had come rushing into the room, grabbing his harshly by the wrist and yanked him up.

He remembered the pain and he let out a sharp scream that his father hadn’t been expecting to hear. Pain shot through his wrist, tears flowing down his face. His mother had come running into the room, taking him into his arms and yelling obscenities that he dared not repeat. He remembered her striking him across the face, her wedding ring leaving a scratch that scarred on his father’s cheek. After that, she took him to the hospital, even though his wrist wasn’t broken. The next time he saw the two of his parents together, his mother had slammed down the divorce papers.

He stepped away from his father, back ending up against the wall. “S…stay away from me!” he couldn’t find his voice; the panic too strong and running through his body. “Don’t touch me!”

His hand found the door knob, twisting it around. It wouldn’t budge, giving a blunt statement that it was locked. Why was it locked? When and more importantly why, did his father lock the door from the inside? “Open the door!” he commanded, turning around to glare fiercely at his father. “I don’t want to spend one more minute with you!”

“Well that’s too bad. I’m not done speaking with you, _Lover boy._ ”

His eyes widened, heart slamming against his chest as he watched his father’s eyes change from brown to a multitude of colors. There was no mistaking it; The Beast was possessing his father. “Why are you here?” he asked, more like demanded. “What do you want? Get out of my Dad!”

The Beast only chuckled, his deep voice replacing his father’s. “I’m not here to hurt your father, Lover boy. This is a business call. Mostly a business call, anyway. I must say, your father is a terribly boring mortal. Though he does harbor a lot of guilty thoughts. Mostly about you, by the way. Isn’t that sweet?”

“Leave him alone!” he stalked towards the demon, thoughts of his training coming back. Demons weren’t easy to defeat and he had nothing on him that would help him kill The Beast. The Oracle Bones said very little about The Beast and nothing on how to defeat him. “Just get out of him! Leave us alone!”

The Beast just lifted his right hand and placed in on his face, cold hands cupping it gently. “I don’t think you’re in any position to be making demands of me,” he stated darkly, and he felt the bile rise in him as the demon’s eyes bored into his. “I could, if I so wanted to, hurt your father. He’d make a beautiful Edelwood. Or I could deliver him to Bill. I’m sure Bill would have fun creating the most imaginative ways to torture him.”

“No!”

“But what do you care?” The Beast mocked, and he found it unnerving that it was his father’s body the demon was using. “As you stated before, your father is an uncaring and selfish jerk. He cares nothing for you. Why should you care for him?”

“He’s my dad,” he ground back, wishing the demon would stop touching him. He jerked away, catching the demon off guard. “He may be a jerk, but I’m not going to let you hurt him. He has nothing to do with this!”

The Beast pulled him back, grabbing him by both of his upper arms. His chest connected with his father’s, eyes darting away from the bright and hypnotizing orbs of The Beast. The demon snarled at him, lips curling back unpleasantly. “You are not in charge here, Lover boy. There is only me. There is only my way. And there is only surrender.”

He backed them up to the bed, catching him off guard and pushed him onto the yellow covered bed harshly. As the demon crawled over him, it dawned on him. The Beast was going to…no, no! He lifted his head up, head-butting the demon and using his legs to throw him off. His father’s body hit the wall with a thud, and he scrambled off the bed, heading towards the door. A hand reached towards him, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him towards the bed once again.

“You’re getting better,” The Beast commented, as if they were just discussing the weather. “I’m sure your father just loved being thrown into a wall. He’s taken a little nap right now, but I’m positive he’ll love the bruises.”

Shit, he hadn’t thought about his father. What if he had done worse? He grunted as his wrists were pinned above his head, legs parted open by The Beast. “How long?” he asked, grinding his teeth together.

“Right before he walked through your front door,” The Beast answered pleasantly, stroking the juncture between his neck and shoulder. “He didn’t know it, but I was there. Lying in the background; waiting for the perfect moment to appear. Your father is awfully dull; no wonder your precious mother left him.”

“Get off of me!” he snapped, struggling against the demon’s hold. “Let go of me! Get out of my dad and leave him alone.”

“Why would I do that? I came here to bring you a gift,” The Beast crooned, smiling crookedly with his father’s lips. “My Lover boy, you really need to stop being so ungrateful. Things will just get messier the more you resist me.”

“I’ll always resist you,” he flinched when lips trailed down his jaw, lightly kissing the bruise on his neck. “Now get off of me!”

“I’m growing tired of your whining,” The Beast pulled back slightly, just to get a good look at him. “I think it’s time for you to be quiet.”

“No!”

He never did get to say anything else. Lips pressed forcefully onto his and his whole body reacted violently. The bile rose in his throat, body struggling against the hold. This was disgusting; pushing past the limit of what he could handle. This was his father! This was The Beast using his father’s body to molest him. When did things get this fucked up?

He didn’t mean to open his mouth, and The Beast just slid his tongue right on in without invitation. One hand lifted from his wrist, reaching towards his legs. A hand slid up his thigh, heading very dangerously towards a place where he never wanted the demon to touch. The hand slid back down towards his knee, drawing one leg around his waist, the other leg following. He still struggled, but the efforts were dimming.

He…he didn’t want to be raped. Not by some demon possessing his father! He furthered his efforts, violently kicking and trying to pull his mouth away from the demons. The Beast was not pleased by this, and his grip against his wrists tightened as his mouth continued to attack his. He couldn’t allow this; he wouldn’t allow this! He had to get out of here.

“While I would love to continue this,” The Beast pulled back all of a sudden, smiling much too widely. “I have other things to do.”

The demon removed himself from him, waving his hand and the door unlocked. “I hope you have a pleasant day, Lover boy. Tell Gregory I said hello.”

“No!”

“Oh, and I left something in your room. I’m sure you’ll like it very much.”

The Beast then closed his eyes and when they opened, it was his father’s own brown ones. His father pressed a hand on his temple, groaning in pain. “What…what happened? I don’t…I don’t remember. Wirt?”

He didn’t spend another second there, giving his father one last look before bolting out the room. He ignored his father’s call, not even looking back. He raced down the street, throat tightening with the threat of tears pooling in his eyes. He ran up the stairs of his house, throwing the front door open and racing upstairs to his room.

Greg had apparently followed him, the boy peeking around the edge as he collapsed in front of his bed, sobbing into the floor. “Wirt?” he asked, his voice quiet and curious. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t respond, he just continued to sob into the carpet. He vaguely registered another voice speaking to Greg, and the presence of his mother as she knelt next to him. “Wirt?” she asked gently, placing a hand on his back. “What happened?”

He didn’t respond, nor did he fight back when she pulled him onto her lap and soothed him, humming gently and running a hand through his hair. He felt Greg plop next to her, hugging him and stroking his back as well. They sat there for the longest time, the three of them just sitting on his bedroom floor as he sobbed and sobbed.

He didn’t even notice just yet the wine glass that was sitting on his bed, along with the note lying next to it with elegant handwriting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you all might be think; yes, The Beast certainly is a horrible creature. I almost feel bad for Mortimer, but he's a jerk. Poor Wirt though, I'm pretty sure he's traumatized. I imagine this whole experience for him is traumatizing. I'm sure if Mortimer remembered what The Beast did in his body, he would be repulsed. Just writing this made me feel repulsed.


	15. Gasoline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt has a strange dream and Dipper finds out something he probably shouldn't have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! Yay! I read in the comments that more BillDip was needed and I totally agreed. While they're not the main focus of the story, they still needed some more interactions. Hope this will satisfy those cravings for now, XD I do apologize for the delay; I work the night shifts at my job and am tired when I get home. Making money though! I have so much coming up in future chapters, I almost want to spoil it right now!
> 
> But I won't!

_And all the people say,_

_You can't wake up this is not a dream,_

_You're part of the machine,_

_You are not a human being,_

_I think there's a fault in my code,_

_These voices won't leave me alone_

_~Gasoline by Halsey~_

**(September 6, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Do we _havvveeee_ to go to school tomorrow?”

Wirt let out a sigh, raising his eyes towards the ceiling for the umpteenth time in a row that day. “Yes Greg,” his eyes drifted over to the image of his brother, who stood in the doorway of his room with his hands on his little round hips. “We have to go to school tomorrow. The law says we have to.”

“Can’t laws change?”

He had to give a small smile at that, shaking his head at the question. “Yes, Greg, but there is no way they’re going to change the law about us having to go to school.”

“Darn!”

The boy dashed off, Jason hopping after him. He gave another sigh, leaning back further in his bed with one of Edgar Allen Poe’s books, leafing through the crisp pages casually. He had read more times than he could count, but it gave him a sense of reassurance. Things were so messed up right now; more messed up than he thought things could ever get. Yet, this book took him away somewhere else, somewhere where there was no Beast, no nightmares, and no fathers to abandon him.

He understood why Greg didn’t want to go to school. The boy didn’t know anyone his age; the only friends he’d made over the summer were much older than him and in high school. True, Greg was super friendly and could make friends in a matter of minutes, but he had a suspicion that the boy was just a little nervous. He hid it well; always looking on the bright side after all, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel scared from time to time.

He’d been to the high school yesterday with Dipper and Mabel to drop off school supplies and take a look around. The recently turned sixteen year olds shared the same homeroom, along with Pacifica, Candy, Grenda, Valentina, and Annie. He wouldn’t deny that he was nervous himself; he only knew so many people at the school and he severely hoped that his teachers wouldn’t make him introduce himself.

For a moment, he thought of last year and a sense of bitter nostalgia came back. If he had only known that htings would be so different this new year. What were Sara and the others doing right now? He could imagine Sara getting ready for the day tomorrow, probably excited about being a mascot again for the fall term. Would they even miss him after a while? Did they truly even miss him?

If…if only he and Greg hadn’t fallen over the garden wall. If it hadn’t happened, would he even be here in Gravity Falls? Would he and Greg be even closer than they were before? Would he have ever gone out with Sara and formed even closer bonds with their friends? If they hadn’t fallen over the wall, would he have never met The Beast? Or better yet, the people he’d met while in the weird purgatory.

“Lights out,” a knock on the door interrupted his musings, making him jump slightly in his bed. His mother stood in the doorway, an amused smile on her face. “It’s a school night; you want to be up bright and early for tomorrow, right?”

From down the hall in the bathroom, Greg’s voice sounded out. “No!”

His mother made a face at that, shaking her head slowly in defeat. “Maybe one day he’ll like school,” she sighed and stepped into his room, eyes still looking into his carefully. “Actually, there is something I want to ask you.”

“What?”

She headed over to his bed, sitting on the end of it with her hands folded neatly in her lap. “Wirt, I know this summer hasn’t exactly been ideal. Hell, it’s been so eventful I’m not surprised you’re worn out,” she paused, biting her lip. “Please, promise me you’ll be careful. I…I don’t want to lose any more of my family.”

For a moment, her eyes went distant and out of focus. He knew exactly what she was thinking of and he felt nothing but absolute sympathy. He could relate to what she had experienced, though perhaps not the same exact way. He watched as Greg almost died and became a tree. His mother watched as her own mother was murdered right in front of her. Both scenarios were not entirely different. “I’ll be careful,” he nodded, setting his book down on the nightstand. “And I’ll make sure Greg is careful too, okay?”

She nodded, the look of wariness fading from her face. It made her look younger; less stressed out. “There is another thing I want to ask you,” she looked over to the photos sitting in perfect alignment. “Have you heard from your father?”

He frowned, shaking his head no. He hadn’t heard from the man since…well, he shivered at the thought of it. His fingers lightly ghosted his lips, where he could still feel that bruising kiss. No matter how many times he wiped them and even after the several dozen times he’d wretched in the toilet after just thinking about it, he still couldn’t get the feel of them off. It was just like the bruise on his neck; it wouldn’t ever go away.

She leaned over, kissing his forehead and ran a hand through his hair comfortingly. “I’ll try to get ahold of him tomorrow,” she promised, standing up and heading towards the door. “Try to get some sleep, alright?”

“Okay,” he yawned, slumping down in his blankets. “Goodnight Mom, I love you.”

“I love you too, Wirt.”

She closed the door softly behind him and he reached over to turn off his table lamp. In the darkness, he stared up at the ceiling, gazing at the two small cracks adorned the white plaster. From outside, the wind pressed gently against the window pane, the promise of autumn fast approaching. His thoughts drifted once again. In eight days, he would be sixteen and in less than two months, it would be the yearlong anniversary since he and Greg fell over the garden wall and entered the adventure of a life time.

He frowned, an eerie feeling drafting the room like a cold breeze. On his shelf, the damn music box gleamed in the dark room, catching the rays of moonlight seeping in. He had tried so many times getting rid of it. He threw it in the lake when he, Dipper, Mabel, and Greg went monster hunting. He tried burning it in a bonfire and even tried to blow it up with left over fireworks from their Fourth of July celebration. No matter what he did, every time he went to bed that night, it would be there, looking just as mysterious and threatening as ever.

From Greg’s room, he could hear the voices of his little brother and mother. Across the hall, he could hear Dave trying to get Yin Wei to sleep, reading to her in order to get her to fall asleep. He sighed, settling down further into his covers. Sleep sounded really good right now; warm and inviting. A nice and wonderful release from the stress in in his life. He closed his eyes, the drowsiness taking hold and it didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

_He didn’t know where he was, or why this place seemed so eerily familiar. He found himself lying in the middle of a forest floor, staring up at a pink and orange sky. Dawn, he quickly figured out as he sat up, taking a hold of his surroundings. Tall plants, such as bamboo shoots and other types of trees towered over him. In the distance, he could hear animals making noises and the sounds of bugs eating whatever they could find._

_He stood up, rubbing the back of his head. Where…where was he? He didn’t know this place; or maybe he did and just didn’t remember it. How did he get here? Was this a dream? This had to be a dream; what else could it be?_

_“Excuse me, are you lost?”_

_He turned around so fast that he almost felt nauseous. Standing a few feet away from him was a little girl around five or six years old. She stared at him with dark eyes, arms crossed carefully behind her back. Her long black hair, with bangs covering her left eye, was in a single braid and she was dressed in a traditional Chinese hanfu. It then hit him like a ton of bricks. China. He was in China! How on earth did he get to China?_

_“Uh, I think so?” he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Who...uh, can you get me some help?”_

_The girl nodded, giving him a large smile. One of her teeth was missing, giving the assumption that she had lost it not too long ago. “Yeah,” she nodded, giving a small giggle. “I can help you. Follow me, Wirt!”_

_“Wait, how did you know my name?”_

_She didn’t answer that question; she only took him by the hand with a surprisingly hard grip. “Come on,” she pouted, pulling him along after her. “Don’t be a slow poke!”_

_“I’m not a slow poke!”_

_She cast him a withering look, reminding him vaguely of the look Greg could sometimes give him when he was being too nervous or overly cautious. He followed her, not even attempting to remove his hand from hers. Who was this little girl? Where was she taking him? He had no idea who she was, only that he felt as if he knew her._

_She led him out of the forest, towards a small village. Instead of going directly through the village, she pulled him in the direction of a little house that stood a little farther away from the rest of the houses and shops. The house looked a little worn out; in need of repairs in the roof, but it looked comfy. A man stood out in the front yard, feeding the chickens that wandered around. The little girl waved at him, but didn’t stop to say anything to him. She pulled him along behind the worn out home, to the small backyard that held a small garden and a woman in a simple dress and hat._

_“This is my Mama,” the girl said, ceasing and letting go of his hand. “She’s the best Mama in the whole world.”_

_“Uh, okay?”_

_The girl let out a laugh, catching the attention of the woman. She lifted her head, moving the hat towards the back of her head. He had to take a step back, astonished by how beautiful she was. Even in the simple clothing, she held herself elegantly; refined. Her hair was long and silky kind of black that his own mother had. Her eyes were the same dark gray as his, her face pale and smooth. High cheek bones and small oval face. “H…hi,” he greeted her, bowing slightly. “Nice to, uh, meet you.”_

_The little girl giggled, hiding it in her hands. She then looked up towards her mother, a little pink in the face from laughing. When she moved her head once more, he noticed it. A huge scar rand down her eye, leaving the dark gray orb looking dull and lifeless; the realization she was blind in her left eye making his jaw fall down in surprise."He sure is bashful, Mama.”_

_“Maybe he wouldn’t be if you didn’t laugh at him,” her mother scolded lightly, wrapping an arm around her._

_He felt tempted to laugh at the little girl’s pout, but all he could feel was the nervousness and uncertainty creep in. “Uh, it’s nice to meet you and all, but who are you?”_

_The woman only smiled softly and placed both hands on the little girl’s shoulders. “My name is Wuya. The man in the front yard is my husband, Jiang,” she then looked down at the little girl, the same tender and gentle smile on her face. “And this is our daughter, Wu.”_

_The world around him began to spin all at once, colors swirling together as if in a kaleidoscope. The faces of the mother and daughter blurred together, becoming one single entity before the world was plunged in darkness. The sounds of birds and insects disappeared as well as the warmth and humidity from the air around him. In the darkness, he couldn’t see his own hands even as he held them up in front of his face. It was so dark; so cold._

_It felt like he was falling, further and further into the darkness. Was this the end? He felt oddly at peace; like there was nothing binding him anymore. No more mysterious family powers, no demons trying to make him their own. There was nothing._

_A light suddenly appeared in the darkness, coming towards him in an instant. He felt afraid; wary of this mysterious being. But as soon as the light touched him, there was nothing but peace. “Don’t be afraid,” the light had a figure, and to his surprise, it was the woman from before. “It’s alright; you’re safe.”_

_“What?” he found he was still able to speak, staring up at the woman with wide eyes. “I don’t understand.”_

_Her face twisted into sadness, hands rubbing his gently. “This is all my fault; I’m so sorry,” she sighed, reaching out to stroke his hair in a way that reminded him of his mother. “Beware The Beast, Wirt. Protect your brother and sister; no matter the cost. Big things are coming, be aware of them.”_

_“Who are you?” he found himself asking, looking up in her teary eyes. “What am I?”_

_“You’re Wirt Palmer and you’re a Liang,” she replied softly. “But, it’s a little more complicated than that.”_

_“How?”_

_“If the items fall into the enemies’ hands, then all is lost. Their goals will be accomplished and it will be difficult to stop them. Our family is so much more than you think and I’m afraid it is my fault,” she sighed sadly. “But that doesn’t change the fact my family is in danger. You must find the rest of the Vessels of Sin before it’s too late.”_

_“But I don’t even know where all of them are!”_

_“The twin blades of Levianta are in a place you know well. But getting there will be a challenge.”_

_He frowned, having a sinking feel as to what she was referring to. “What? Where are the scissors?”_

_“The Unknown.”_

He bolted upright in bed, eyes widening in the lightening room. It was getting lighter outside, birds chirping in the distance. He turned to the alarm clock on his nightstand, the red numbers stating that it was only five thirty in the morning. He took a deep breath, heart slamming against his chest. What….what was that about?

He had seen Wu, the grandmother who had banished The Beast to The Unknown. However, why had he seen her mother? She was so sad, yet something wasn’t right about her. Her entire appearance was earth real; supernatural in a sense. The only thing he knew for certain was that she wasn’t human. Question was, what exactly was she?

He rolled out of bed, pacing across the room quietly to calm his racing heart. In the fading sliver of moonlight, he could see the note sitting on his dresser. Ford had been ecstatic when he brought the item, holding up the wine glass with unveiled fascination. “The glass of Conchita,” he had announced, the light casting rainbow prisms across the room. “If we’re not careful with it, it can warp our own appetites and make them horribly grotesque. This glass has been responsible for many plagues throughout the centuries as well, including the Black Death. And it can reanimate the dead, something I believe our enemies have done.”

It still didn’t explain why The Beast let him have the glass. It made absolutely no sense at all. He picked up the note, grimacing tightly at the words written down.

_I hope you enjoy the gift I left on your bed._

_We’ll be seeing each again real soon, so don’t be worried._

_Sincerely yours, Beast_

He crumpled the note in his fist, throwing it across the room where it delicately landed in the waste basket. He flopped back on his bed, closing his eyes as the waning moonlight slowly gave way into the morning light. Sleep wouldn’t be returning to him, but he didn’t feel like getting back up either. For now, lying in a stand still would be just fine.

~

**(Dipper)**

“And then Mrs. Blakely made us induce ourselves and I met two other kids who like frogs just like me! And-“

While Greg continued to chat about his day to his older brother, Dipper zoned out. Not that he didn’t care about what the boy was saying, but bigger things were on his mind. Grunkle Ford was in a good mood since receiving one of the vessels; studying day and night and barely coming out of his laboratory behind the vending machine.

He knew what had happened with Wirt’s father, the very thought of what went down turning his face a pale shade. What if Bill did something like that? It didn’t seem likely; his father was dead after all, but that didn’t ease the fact he could do something like that. What if he did something like that with Grunkle Ford and Stan’s bodies? Or worse, Mabel’s! He shivered, pushing the thought away and continued walking back home with the others.

This year was going to be interesting, that was for sure. The second he arrived in homeroom with Mabel and Wirt, Annie Poolcheck had taken a spot right next to him. He didn’t really know what to think of that; only that he had never really spent time with her before. She had an aloofness that tended to keep people away. Well, besides Valentina Romano. He wasn’t entirely sure what their relationship was, considering their drastic difference in personalities. Speaking of the latter, she had arrived not long after him and took a spot right next to Mabel.

At lunch, it was mostly the same. Along with the new addition of Wirt to their group, the two girls had followed. Wirt seemed to know them pretty well for he seemed at ease around them, but he still wasn’t quite sure what their connection to him was. He’d have to ask the taller boy about them later.

His classes were fine; he wasn’t too worried about them. The more pressing matters in his mind were Bill and The Beast. It didn’t make sense; none of it did. While he knew for fact that The Beast was harassing Wirt, he’d not seen much of Bill. He’d have nightmares every now and then, but they weren’t frequent. What was up with that?

“I’m going for a walk,” he announced, surprising his other three companions. “I’ll meet up with you later.”

“But Dip-dop,” Mabel narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “We are walking.”

“I, uh, left something back at school,” he lied, knowing exactly she didn’t believe him for a second. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

She didn’t protest, but rather shot him a look saying she’d ask him what was wrong later. She linked her left arm with Wirt’s, right hand finding Greg’s and dragged the two boys down the path. He turned the opposite way, and when he figured they were far enough away, he dashed into the forest. How far he ran, he had no idea. The last time he’d explored the woods was weeks ago and from what he’d noticed, it didn’t feel right.

He spoken with the multi-bear, the gnomes, anyone he could find who wasn’t in hiding. The gnomes were in hiding, their numbers lowering due to creatures hunting them down. Ancient creatures, they had said, older than them and the human race. Things that had been asleep or trapped were being awoken or released. Even the Multi-bear, who was usually ever so calm, seemed shaken. “The Morrigan was let loose,” he had said, shivering ever so slightly. “She has been asleep for over a millennia. And everyone knows the Morrigan brings death.”

Well, if that wasn’t cheerful enough. He’d heard similar things from the other creatures and reported back to Ford. He wanted to help them; he truly did but how? He considered asking Xiāng ling and while the Oracle Bones did help, he wished the journals were still around to explain some more, but it couldn’t be helped now.

He marched further into the woods, far from anyone’s ears and stood in the center of a clearing. A very large clearing with long green grass that looked like it hadn’t been cut for ages. Various plants and rocks filled the area, allowing the feeling of vacancy and peace to run through. However, he felt like just the opposite. It didn’t feel vacant at all. In actuality, it looked like there had been things living here. Things that perhaps were not around at the moment, but could appear at any time.

So he did the most rational thing he could. He stood in the middle of the clearing and glared up at the sky. He opened his mouth to shout. “BILL! GET YOUR STUPID TRIANGLE SELF OVER HERE NOW!”

For a few seconds there was silence. Not that he actually suspected the triangle demon to show up; no that was apparently asking too much. He stood there for a few more seconds before sighing in irritation, turning on his heel to walk away when…

“You know, Pine Tree, it’s kind of dangerous to be by yourself in the woods right now.”

His eye twitched at that high pitched, obnoxious voice. He turned around quickly to see Bill in his human form, twirling his cane around idly with his left hand. The demon grinned, showing off rather pointy and sharp looking teeth. “Really, there are other demons here that could eat you, witches that could curse you, fairies who could literally play with you till you die. Really, just an assortment of things.”

“Didn’t know you cared,” he rolled his eyes as the blonde demon snickered. “If you wanted me dead, I think you would have killed me already.”

“Kill you? Pine Tree, have you not been cleaning out your ears? I’m not going to kill you; I have plans involving you,” the demon stated in an airy tone, stepping a bit closer to him. “And how could you not think I cared? You’d never survive in this forest alone, after all. Unless you’re a Liang, then there is no way you could fight these creatures on your own.”

Another spike of irritation rose. “What is everyone’s deal with Wirt and his family?” he asked, hands curling into fists. “What does The Beast want with him? And what do you want with me?”

“Oh Pine Tree,” the demon was behind him suddenly, arms encircled around his waist possessively. His face was very close to his ear, his warm breath causing the blood to rush to his face. “You sure do like asking a lot of questions. And sticking your nose into others’ business.”

“Get away from me!”

“Now, now, that’s no way to talk to your master,” a hand rested lightly against the base of his neck. Light, yet he knew very well to take it as a warning. “I think it’s pretty clear what I want from you.”

He didn’t like the sinking feeling in his stomach, the nagging suspicion and realization settling in. “Enlighten me,” he growled, crossing his arms defiantly as the grip around his waist moved towards his hip.

“I want _you_ , Pine Tree,” Bill slurred in his ear, giving a short little chuckle that sent chills down his spine. “Mind, body, and spirit.”

“And you think I’m going to sit by and let that happen?”

“Of course not, silly Pine Tree,” Bill released him, jumping back to his front to give him a smirk. “That’s why when we win; I’ll have every right to claim you as mine. Just as old Cerny will have every right to claim that little Liang.”

His brown eyes widened to the size of golf balls. “Old Cerny? Is that The Beast?”

Come to think of it, what was the demon’s name anyway? Had they ever even asked before?

“What do you think?” Bill laughed, holding his sides like they hurt. “His actual name is Cernunnos. But why should you care? It’s not like you care about him.”

“I care about Wirt,” he defended, glaring at the demon again. “And I bet you know exactly why The Beast is after him. And I bet you know how Wirt’s family line came to be! Tell me, now!”

“Why would I do that?” Bill tilted his head at an odd angle, making his stomach churn at the very sight of it. The demon smiled cruelly, twirling his cane once again in his hand. “Do you really want to be the one to tell your friend and his family that their family line and abilities came from a demon?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you all didn't see THAT coming. Of course, leave it to Bill to be the bearer of ominous news. I honestly see Bill as the one to give out random pieces of information just to see peoples' reactions. And to fuck with their minds of course. I mean, come on, it's BILL.


	16. Halou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt's sixteenth birthday brings an unwanted visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's another chapter. And they match! This one won't be too long, but we're about to head into some deep stuff pretty soon. There are still four more objects to obtain and the villains have more tricks up their sleeves. Hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you want or think in the comments below!

_Despite this cruel world,_

_And all my best efforts,_

_You surprise me with just how perfect you are,_

_Even with all my flaws,_

_And my bad examples,_

_You surprise me with just how perfect you are_

_~Halou by Honeythief~_

**(September 14, Detroit, Michigan 1999, Detroit Hospital,)**

_After hours of painful and seemingly never ending labor, the doctors finally put her son in her arms. Xiāng ling Palmer smiled tearfully, looking down at the wiggling infant with her eyes smarting with tears. This little boy, this perfect little boy, was hers. It was almost hard to believe that this little one had been inside her for nine months. For months, she thought this day would never arrive, but here he was. At precisely 4:03 in the morning, he finally entered this dangerous and cruel, yet very beautiful world._

_“Hi there,” she peered down at the baby, smiling widely. “I’m your Mommy. And Mommy loves you so very, very much.”_

_Of course the infant didn’t reply, he just stared up at her with those impressionable eyes. Dark gray, just like hers. Little wisps of dark brown hair lay gently on his small head, the same hair that his father had. It was still too early to tell which one of them he resembled the most, but she had the nagging suspicion that he was going to look very similar to his father. And she was hardly ever wrong, after all._

_“Mort,” she lifted her head up, eyes searching for the man she was looking for. Her husband stood nearby, looking down at his phone. Typical, she snorted softly, but called for him again. “Mort, come look at our son. He’s got your nose; I can tell!”_

_“In a minute,” Mort raised a hand, bringing the phone to his ear and stepping towards the door. “I’ll be right back.”_

_She frowned, shaking her head and turning her focus back towards her son. He was burrowing his face to her breast, possibly hungry or perhaps just listening to her heartbeat. She smiled, despite the irritation that was spiking in her. “That was your Daddy. Though he seems like an asshole, he does love you. He’s not very good with kids, but maybe you can change that.”_

_She looked towards the window towards the fading starlight. She should feel exhausted, but never before had she felt this much more alive. At last, she could finally start rebuilding the family that had been lost to her. First her mother so many years ago, and now her father only two months ago…the birth of her son was a much needed occasion._

_“There’s so much ahead of you in this life,” she murmured to him, his tiny hands finding her index finger. “So much that you’ll get to discover and learn. You don’t know just how much I love you; how much your Daddy loves you too. There’s so much I want for you to have and achieve.”_

_She looked back towards the window, to the fading starlight that would soon give into the rising sun. “Look out there, Walter,” she adjusted his small body to look towards the open window. “See the sky? With all those pretty stars that burn so brightly? That is the only thing greater than you.”_

_~_

**(September 14, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Wirt…”

Cracking an eye open, he looked to the alarm clock sitting on his nightstand and groaned when he saw what time it was. “Mom,” he moaned, turning over in his bed. “It’s 4:03 in the morning; go back to bed.”

“Sixteen years ago I was up all night waiting for you to be born,” she crawled into bed beside him, lying next to him with her arms folded across her stomach. “This is the exact time you were born. And now, I can tell you the story of your birth.”

“Gee, like I haven’t heard it a million times already.”

“Why, I didn’t know you were a million years old, Wirt.”

He made a face in the darkness, turning over to the right so he could face her. “You’re not going to get off my bed until I listen, are you?”

“Nope.”

He sighed, rolling his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. “Fine, but don’t take too long. I have school in the morning, you know.”

“I know,” she grinned and sat up a little, wrapping an arm around him. “It all started over sixteen years ago and to this day, it’s gone by so fast. I can’t believe my little boy is sixteen today.”

“It feels slow,” he grumbled, protesting slightly as she smoothed his unruly hair, but deep down felt comforted by it. “Everything feels like it’s going unbelievably slow. I wish it would hurry up so I can be an adult already.”

“No, trust me, it’s fast,” she sounded wise, the twenty-three years between them giving her that advantage. “So, what do you think of your life so far?”

She always asked him this question; no matter how old he was or what was going on in his life. Up until now, he’d always said that it was pretty good. Simple, but good. Except when he was about to turn nine, he asked her to get rid of Greg. He knew she had been disappointed by that request, but told him that things would get easier. That they would be very close one day and he wouldn’t imagine life without him. Of course then he had scoffed at her, but now he could see that she was right.

“It could be better,” he admitted softly, reflecting on the current events and problems going on. “I mean, if we didn’t have so many supernatural problems, then I wouldn’t say that. Other than that, I think it’s been pretty good. Can’t complain too much.”

“Any requests?”

“I wish it would get cooler,” he smirked as she chuckled. “Think you can do that?”

“I’ll ask the weather man,” she laughed quietly and fixed her head so she could look into his eyes. “Anything else?”

“If The Beast would disappear, that would be great too.”

“I’ll get to work on that.”

There was a comfortable silence and as she stroked his head, he could hear the comforting sounds of her heartbeat. No matter what age he was, just listening to her heart was soothing; like a reminder that as long as she was alive and well, he would be okay.

“You know what I think?” she asked, sounding pretty vague.

“What?”

“I think, in spite of everything going on right now, you’re a pretty cool kid. And the best first child a mother could have,” she took his hand in hers and sighed. “And it’s so hard to believe that only sixteen years ago, I was lying in a bed in exactly the same position…”

“Oh boy, here we go.”

“Only my stomach was so huge and fat,” she laughed, smacking him playfully. “And my ankles were swollen and fat too. I was lying in the hospital bed, cursing in Chinese and English to your poor father and the medical team around me. They say it’s the most meaningful experience of your life, but at the time, all I could think of was crushing the bones of your father’s hand to ease the pain.”

“Poor guy.” He said flatly, just picturing it now.

“And during those agonizing hours of labor, I had the assumption there was an actual use for the cup of ice they gave me…”

“But there wasn’t,” he interrupted, smiling widely as she was getting to his favorite part. “Was there?”

“Nope,” she shook her head, grin matching his. “But pelting your father with them sure was fun.”

They both snickered, staring up at the ceiling at the thought of something that had occurred so long ago. She sat up, leaning down to kiss his cheek softly. “I love you, Wirt. I’m so glad you decided to come into this world.”

“Well it’s not like I had a choice.”

“Now shush, we’re getting to another great part about how your father almost passed out at the sight of your head.”

“Oh no, can you not?”

~

“Happy birthday to you!”

Xiāng ling smiled as Wirt blew out the candles on his chocolate cake, everyone in the room clapping and cheering. Well, minus Annie, but it was hard to not notice the tiny smile that formed on the girl’s face. As the teens and Dave, with Yin Wei in his arms, crowded Wirt, she couldn’t help but feel a certain pang of bittersweet nostalgia. She had sincerely meant it when she told Wirt that growing up was fast; fast for both of them. It seemed like only yesterday her son was a little boy, following her around the house like a little duckling.

Her smile only softened more when Greg threw his arms around his older brother, tickling him under his chin where he was the most sensitive. Wirt almost fell out of the chair from laughing so hard and removed Greg from his body with ease. It was nice, seeing them act like this. Last September, Wirt probably would have scolded or said something nasty towards the little boy. It was a good change; a much needed one.

“He’s grown up a lot,” Dave was suddenly at her side, their daughter pulling on his hair. “I mean, a lot has changed since his last birthday.”

“I agree,” she leaned her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapping around her waist while the other supported their daughter on his hip. “So much has changed. I’m not sure how to feel about it.”

“Just think, Greg’s turning eight in two months.”

“Oh no, don’t remind me!”

He grinned teasingly, turning his gaze to Yin Wei and cooed at her. “And this one is going to be a year old in five months. Daddy’s little girl is growing up so fast,” she smiled at this and reached out, grabbing his nose. “Ow!”

She smirked, shaking her head. “You deserved that one,” she continued to snicker a little before removing the girl’s small hand from his nose. The cake was being sliced and delivered out, and in the background the café’s music could be heard. It was a small party, Wirt never liking large events, and it was filled with the friends he’d made over the past few months. It filled her with happiness, and a bit of relief since friendships had never come easy to him.

“I’ll be back,” she met Dave’s eyes, noticing how Greg was getting chocolate all over his face. “I’m going to get paper towels.”

“Oh, and ice cream!” Dave looked sheepish, a faint blush on his cheeks. “I kind of…forgot to bring it from the freezer.”

“Alright,” she kissed him quickly on the cheek, earning an aw from Mabel and a face from Wirt. The back of the café was empty, minus the boxes on the counters and the other objects she used for storage. The freezers were locked, as well as the cabinets and the refrigerator. The coffee maker was turned off, though the fragrance of Arabica beans still hung in the air. While it should have seemed peaceful and calm, something wasn’t right. Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own, reaching into the drawer and wrapping around a long cutting knife.

“Hello Xiāng ling.”

She whipped around, the tip of the knife dangerously close to piercing the skin of the man now in front of her. He was tall, definitely taller than her former husband and had dark sandy blonde hair. His eyes were a mixture of colors and she knew exactly who it was. “Beast,” she said a flat tone, leaving no emotion in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“I only came to wish Wirt a happy birthday. Sixteen is an impressive year or so I’ve heard,” he smiled, but not kindly. “You’re looking well, though we have never met before in person.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever wanted to meet something as evil as you,” she retorted, voice calm and steady though her heart slammed into her chest. “What do you want from me?”

“From you? Don’t be so arrogant; you have nothing I’d want,” he leered at her, and she found herself unable to look away from them. “Your son, on the other hand, has so much more to offer.”

She pushed the knife to the point it pressed against his neck dangerously. “You stay away from my son!” she snarled, voice dangerously low. “You stay away from my family, you hear me?”

“And why would I want to do that?” he chuckled, not at all bothered by the knife against his throat. “That little knife won’t do anything to me.”

“I don’t care,” she snapped. “What do you want with Wirt? Is this because he defeated you in The Unknown? Is that it?”

He stopped chuckling, his cold eyes staring into hers. “He reminds me of her,” he said this in a wistful tone; thinking back to something she could not recall. “And to think that I was dealing with her great, great grandson and had no idea until the very end. Your family has caused me a great deal of trouble, so consider this a…form of revenge if you will. But he will be mine.”

“Over my dead body!”

He smiled cruelly, hand resting carefully on her arm. “He will be mine and you can’t stop me,” he sneered at her. “You truly have no idea what this is all about. Your stupid great, great grandmother, Wu, denied me what was rightfully mine and now, I’m going to take it back.”

“You will leave my son alone,” she hissed, stepping towards him. “I don’t know what my ancestors did to make you angry, but you will not take it out on Wirt!”

“Oh, I won’t hurt him. Too much,” The Beast chuckled again. “But you can’t stop me from taking him.”

“I will stop you!”

He moved suddenly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it till the knife dropped from her hand. She hissed in pain as her wrist snapped, but the echoing of his laughter resonated in her ear. “As strong as you are,” his voice was near her ear, low and threatening. “You cannot stop me. None of you can stop me. I will take Wirt and he will be mine. Then I’ll come for you and the rest of your silly family. I’ll kill little Gregory slowly, painfully, in every way you fear. Then I’ll kill Dave right in front of you. And perhaps I’ll take your little daughter and give her to some lower ranking demons. I hear baby’s blood is the most delectable thing next to a virgin’s.”

She could picture it; all the blood and violence. She could imagine the screams and something in her snapped. Despite the clear disadvantage, she used her other hand to grab his arm and throw him to the ground. He didn’t appear hurt, but the image of seeing him beneath her was satisfying enough. “Get out,” she snarled. “Now!”

He chuckled, but other than that, left without saying a word. The pain in her wrist pulsed and when David walked in after hearing the commotion, she wasn’t entirely sure on where to even begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad Beast! Bad!


	17. Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie has a dream and The Beast thinks of the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Here's a new chapter to tide you over! I hope you guys are having a great summer; I know I am and I'm about ready for school to start again next month. Wooh sophomore year! Hopefully this story will be done by the end of the year or fall term at least. No promises, but be ready for a sequel! Lots of shit is going to go down in this one >:)

_Dig up her bones but leave the soul alone_

_Boy with a broken soul_

_Heart with a gaping hole_

_Dark twisted fantasy turned to reality_

_Kissing death and losing my breath_

_~Bones by MsMr~_

**(October 3, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

_There was nothing but chaos all around her. In the smoke covered orange sky, she could smell death. It clung to her clothes like a foul smell, seeping into her skin. Bodies were all around, some dead and others holding onto the smallest thread of life. Her feet couldn’t move nor could her body stop shaking. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the scene in front of her. The sounds of Greg screaming echoed in her ears as she griped his shoulders to prevent him from moving._

_Greg thrashed in her arms, and she could feel each drop from the tears that rand down his face. He kept screaming his brother’s name, begging her to let him go but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She would never forgive herself if something happened to him._

_“Annie, let me go!” Greg sobbed, eyes red from crying and voice now going hoarse. “Annie, please! I have to get Wirt!”_

_“I can’t,” she tried doing what she usually did; shoving down all emotions so she could survive. She’d done it before and it almost always worked. But this time it was different. She couldn’t prevent her voice from shaking or stop the little tears that ran down her cheeks. “He’s gone Greg. He’s gone. You can’t do anything about it.”_

She woke up with a start, eyes opening widely into the darkness of her room. Her heart fluttered against her ribcage like the wings of a butterfly and sweat clung to the back of her t-shirt. She pressed a hand to her forehead, taking a deep breath. “That again,” she murmured to herself, blonde bangs brushing into her eyes. “That dream again.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d had the dream. Ever since Greg and his brother moved to town, she’d started having weird dreams. They left her awake at night, staring up at the ceiling until morning’s rays hit. She knew she’d always been sensitive, despite what others said about her. They’d told her she was an unfeeling bitch among other words but she knew it wasn’t true. She felt things, perhaps a little more deeply than others.

Although, she’d started to become more open to herself lately. All the years of watching her parents argue and seeing her mother put her father down with cruel words. She saw how hopeless he’d become, to the point she knew he’d been contemplating suicide. She couldn’t lose her dad; he was the only family she had left.

But perhaps that wasn’t true either. Meeting Valentina after her mother walked out on them saved her. She had never admitted that to anyone, but Valentina unknowingly picked up the broken pieces of her heart. She would never be completely whole or full of innocence like most people around her, but she had someone to lean on; someone she could trust completely in her life. She couldn’t deny the feelings that arose and nor could the other. She admired the way her girlfriend saw the world, despite the fact her parents were the most authoritarian and conservative people she’d ever seen. She saw the way they put her down; berated her in front of their friends but the girl never listened. She always brushed them off and continued her way through life.

“They’re just words,” she had said with a shrug. “I know they’re not true so why should they bother me? It’s simple, Annie, it’s really not that hard.”

She couldn’t view the world the way Valentina could. Her girlfriend still had a sort of innocence about her that she herself had lost a long time ago. Meeting Greg reminded her of the innocence of her girlfriend, how both of them only chose to look at the good in the world and see things with such positivity and enthusiasm.

It probably explained why she felt a connection to Wirt. Both of them could see what the world truly was. A world where the strong lived and the weak were swept underneath. Wirt could see that and he wanted to protect Greg from that sort of thinking. She could respect that and to a point she also wanted a world where the weak were considered people too instead of losers and nobody’s. Her father, after her mother left, thought he was weak. And only by making himself stronger could he seem invulnerable and undefeatable. It just wasn’t true and she couldn’t count how many times she had seen him lose himself to his feelings. She just wanted him to know that in spite of everything, she still loved him.

She wrapped the blanket around herself more tightly, resting her chin on her knees. In the corner of her room, the only gift she’d ever received from her mother sat on a bookshelf. Not something she ever played with as a child; it was far too delicate and she had been told that it was very valuable. It was a pretty doll, with a dark blue dress from the eighteen hundreds and soft blonde hair done in pigtails. Despite looking like an ordinary doll, there was something off about it. It always looked like it was asleep even though it was propped into a sitting position. The eyes never opened either, though there were times she swore that it was looking at her. She wanted to throw it out but never seemed to be able to for some reason. She would always push it away; just how she managed to push almost everything away and ignore it.

With tired eyes, she stared up at the moon that peered in through her window. Outside, the wind blew with the chilly promise that winter was on the way. Her birthday, October 11, was only eight days away. While normally she didn’t care about her birthday, she couldn’t shake off the anxious feeling that gnawed at the very core of her being. Something, she didn’t know what, was coming.

With a sigh, she continued to look at the moon outside, running a hand through her hair. “I have a bad feeling,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head. “A very bad feeling.”

~

With dark gnarled hands, he held the small spoon carefully in his hand. In the moonlight the silver of the utensil glowed an earth real color that attracted the other demons and creatures around him. The Marlon Spoon, the vessel of Greed, was probably one of the most powerful vessels that had been left in the mortal devices. They were as greedy as his namesake and usually killed themselves off over their own greed. Pitiable, in fact, but not surprising.

Thought, it wasn’t as if demons and other creatures were immune to its affects. They could certainly get greedy amongst other emotions. Yet unlike humans, they knew how to control these urges and manipulate them for their own gain. They were above the petty human urges; found their struggles hilarious if not endearing. Watching Lover boy struggle was certainly endearing, though he found himself growing unusually impatient these days. It was only a matter of time before the final pieces of their plan fell into place and then, the boy would be all his.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Bill Cipher leering at him. There were only two other demons that rivaled his own power. Well, only one now considering the other one had pretty much defiled her identity and had to be killed. Now it was just him and Bill as the strongest and most powerful demons in the world. The others cowered before them, believing them to be gods of some sort. Which was ridiculous considering gods didn’t exist. The Morrigan was something else entirely, a demon that had completely gone mad with power that all she could think of was consuming souls. To the point they had to lock her away.

She would be considered collateral damage by the time they were done with their plans.

He closed his hand around the spoon, and for a moment, imagined that the object was the boy’s hand. Soon, he reminded himself as he closed his glowing eyes. Soon, the boy would be his and the revenge he’d waited so long for would be complete. Vengeance against Wu and her stupid, disgrace of a mother, Wuya.

Wuya was a disgrace to them all; what she did was so deplorable it almost made him sick. Almost, because if she hadn’t done what she did, Lover boy wouldn’t exist. There was no other family like theirs’ in the universe; their situation completely extraordinary. The thought of a demon becoming mortal would have made some laugh, but when it happened, no one knew quite what to think.

“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?” Bill Cipher slipped in beside him, speaking in that obnoxious sarcastic tone of his. “Obtaining her great, great grandson is your way of exacting revenge, isn’t it?”

“Almost,” he sighed, glancing to his friend. Well, if he could even call him a friend. “Most of it is directed to her deplorable daughter, Wu. But getting her grandson will make everything she did in vain.”

Bill gave a short laugh, shaking his blonde head. “I’m not apologizing for doing what I did. She accepted my deal and I gave her what she wanted.”

“She wanted to become mortal. Never before in our history has a demon wanted to become mortal just because she ‘fell in love.””

“Ah, well, nothing can really be done about it now. I mean, you could go back in time considering I destroyed the Time Baby and all. But I have a feeling you won’t want to do that,” the golden triangular demon laughed in his human form. “Besides, you’d make a lot of creatures here angry. We’ve worked too hard to get here.”

“I have no intention of going back in time,” he replied stiffly, looking towards the group of witches that were talking amongst themselves. “But I have to ask, why did you agree to give her a mortal soul?”

“Why not?” Bill shrugged, giving him a smile that could pass as serene, but hinted at something else. “She was so desperate it was funny. Besides, I didn’t give her the soul for free. Trust me, I was as disgusted as everyone else, but I told her there would be a price to pay later and she accepted. You know what it was.”

“How could I forget,” he sighed and glanced over again to the witches. “The look on her face was priceless when she found out what it was.”

It had been ironic, even after all these centuries it still brought a cruel smirk to his lips. It served her right for messing around with the mortals and then “falling in love” with one of them. She’d always had a strange fascination with them, but becoming one was just ludicrous. If anyone were to judge him on doing the same thing, he would have destroyed them with Edelwood. The boy was not entirely human and never had been. The tainted blood that ran through his veins was something unique and there were those who stated that the entire family should be killed off. He had to smile at that ironically. Idiots; killing them would be a lot harder than the anticipated. They had at least a thousand years of the knowledge of dealing with supernatural entities. Did they really think they would be defeated so easily? It would be unwise to underestimate them.

Besides, he had his own plan for the boy. And of course Bill had his own agenda for the Pines’ boy as well.

A while ago everyone had been agitated with what his plan was but now, they were excited. Everything was falling into place so nicely. The little mortals had no idea what was coming and from what he had been observing, they were getting too relaxed. Minus his Lover boy and his family. He knew full well that they had a sense of something and would react on instinct when something happened. Then there was Salome’s daughter, who came from a long line of witches yet had no supernatural powers herself.

Or, so he thought. Not that he really cared what his witches did; honestly they were as petty and misguided as the humans, but they seemed to be rather excited about something. Again, not that he cared too much, but they were useful and served as excellent spies for him and the others. Not to mention the power they wielded. It was the Coven of the Dark Lantern that lifted the runes off the Morrigan’s prison and located the objects. Salome was definitely a lot more…efficient than her mother. Leaving one of the objects with her own child was a cruel, yet smart move on her part.

He had them all right where he wanted them. They truly had no idea what was coming.

“Master?”

Ah, speaking of the coven’s leader, Salome stood before him flanked by two other witches. She looked genuinely pleased about something due to the smile on her face. “Master,” she started again now that she had his full attention. “There is something I would like to ask.”

He looked to her expectantly; nodding once to affirm her question. “You may speak.”

“My daughter is the one who now has possession of the sleeping doll,” the woman spoke carefully, as if trying not to bore him with details he already knew. Though he was curious to know what she was trying to get at. “I was wondering if we should try to reclaim it soon.”

He briefly wondered why they were so impatient; it wasn’t as if there was a rush to do anything right away. Bill loomed over his shoulder, looking cocky as ever as he regarded the witches. “We have the vessel of greed. There are only two more items left to find and we already know where they are.”

“My daughter’s birthday is in a few days,” Salome ignored the golden triangular demon pointedly, making a great show of it. “I had originally thought she would useless to me considering she doesn’t have magic, but now I’m not so sure.”

He raised an eyebrow, not denying that he was a bit intrigued by this. “You believe that there is a chance she possesses magic ability?” he asked, admitting to himself that it was a bit surprising. He had noted the girl before, but never took much interest in her. “A late bloomer, perhaps.”

“Yes,” Salome nodded with that cruel smile of hers. “I’ve kept tabs on her and I think that it might be the case. There is only one way to be sure, though.”

“And what is that?” Bill asked, and he scoffed at this considering the triangle demon already knew the answer.

“A claiming has to happen. If it does, then it will be proof that she has magic abilities and will be of use to me.”

At first, he didn’t see the point of this but then he paused for a moment. A new witch would be a nice reward for his little coven considering they had been working very hard for him and never questioned his decisions. Salome had worked very hard to get him back to his strength and never gave up searching for him long after her mother’s failed attempt at bringing him back from The Unknown. He smiled softly at the thought of what he had coming; how it would literally be a slap in that horrid woman’s face.

“I’ll allow it,” he said in a voice that offered no room for argument from the rest of the gathering. “Even if she shows no signs of powers, you will bring the doll to me. Understood?”

“Yes, master!”

He nodded to Bill once more before teleporting away in a flash of black smoke. Finding his way into the boy’s house was easy and he was a bit surprised they never thought to put up runes or Unicorn’s hair to keep him out. Probably too busy with other things, though it was a bit careless of them. Oh well.

He silently walked past the rooms in his shadow like form. Xiāng ling slept on her left side with her boorish lout of a husband’s arm around her midsection. His nose was buried in her dark hair and despite the painful fracture he had given to her wrist a few weeks ago, she looked peaceful. Even with the bags under her eyes, she looked lost to the world.

He looked briefly into little Gregory’s room and curled his lips distastefully at the obnoxious race car bed that he slept in. He was sprawled out across his bed with the blankets tossed to the ground. The disgusting frog was sleeping on them, the bell in his stomach glowing faintly like the light from a lightening bug. He knew that when he was done with his business here, he’d ask Bill to pay a visit to the boy and give him such a horrible nightmare that he’d run to his mother in tears.

Disappearing from the boy’s room, he ventured into the girl’s. He didn’t really pay attention to this one; after all she wasn’t even a year old and no threat to him. A lot bigger than the last time he’d seen her and she still had that same round chubbiness all babies seemed to possess. She stirred in her sleep, small body moving against the blankets of her cradle.

He didn’t stay long in her room; she was only interesting for so long and now he moved to the one he’d the most focus on. Wrapped snugly in his blankets, Wirt slept soundly. His dark hair was messy as usual but he looked so relaxed; so peaceful. It almost brought a smile to his lips when he thought of ruining it by waking the boy up. Wouldn’t that scare the boy?

He frowned slightly, remembering the day only two months ago. He had almost lost composure when he possessed the boy’s father. It would have traumatized the boy if he’d had his way with him using his father’s body. The things he wanted to do to this boy would be enough to make the teen’s mother cringe with disgust.

Still, he slipped the spoon on the boy’s night stand and slid a shadowy hand down his cheek. Soon, he promised himself. Very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment!


	18. Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A homecoming dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're all going to hate me for this chapter...have some comfort food

_When everything has turned to black_

_You don't know where to go_

_You need something to justify your soul_

_Silences are broken_

_Confidence is gone_

_When everything you're holdin' onto falls_

_~Black by Kari Kimmel~_

**October 5, Gravity Falls, Oregon**

He hadn’t been expecting Annie to be standing by his locker door the exact moment she shut it.

“Damnit!” he cursed, nearly dropping the books he had in his hands. “Annie, don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry,” she said in a tone that stated otherwise. She leaned her left shoulder against the locker next to his, hands stuffed inside her sweatshirt pockets. “I have something I want to ask you.”

The hallway was mostly disserted by now, with only a handful of people milling about collecting their things on this Monday afternoon. He was getting ready to head back to the shack but was now curious to what she had to ask. Annie never really spoke up much unless she was giving her opinion on something. With her being forward like this, it completely had his attention. “What is it?” he asked casually, trying not to sound worried or anything.

“Will you go to the Homecoming dance with me?”

The question almost made him drop his large stack of books all over again. He stared at her, watching as her face grew pinker and pinker. She looked so uncomfortable asking this, as if it were paining her just to be talking. “Valentina asked Wirt earlier and he said he’d go with her, and she said I should…I should ask you,” she averted her eyes awkwardly, clearing her throat and pushing her bangs away from her face. “If you’re not going, it’s fine.”

“Yeah, I’ll go with you,” it wasn’t like he wasn’t planning on going; not since Mabel threatened to drag him to the dance if he didn’t. And all because he didn’t go last year with the excuse of it not being interesting and being “sick”. “I didn’t even think you would, you know, interested in going.”

“I…like dances,” it sounded so forced coming from her, like it was physically hurting her for saying that. “It looks fun.”

“Alright. So, what time should I pick you up?”

“Seven. Valentina said we could go with her and Wirt.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

She darted off down the hallway after that, hands still stuffed in her hoodie. He blinked twice, trying to make sense of it all. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along; quite the opposite actually. She never made fun of his nerd –like tendencies and would even play Dungeons, Dungeons and more Dungeons with him. But there was always something…off about her. Like there was more going on between her and Valentina, whom she had known since childhood. He had always thought of asking if there was anything between them, but never got around to it.

“What’s up Dip Dop?”

Mabel appeared next to him, wearing an alpaca sweater with matching alpaca earrings. Bedazzled pink backpack over her shoulders and resting lightly against her back, casting rainbow prisms on the floor and walls of the school. “Hey Mabes,” he smiled at her, with his older twin linking her arm into his. “Anything exciting happen?”

“I just got done color coordinating things with Pacifica and the other girls. I’m wearing pink, Paz is wearing purple, Candy’s going in green with Grenda going in blue. She got Marius to come all the way from Austria, can you believe it? And Candy’s bringing the Korean exchange student as her date! They are sooo cute together! Oh, I almost forgot that Valentina’s wearing red!”

“Sounds great,” he nodded, not even bothering to keep up with the color coordination’s and such. It was more of Mabel’s thing anyway to keep track of that sort of stuff anyways.

“So what’s up with you? You look bamboozled.”

“Annie just got asked to the Homecoming dance. I am whole heartedly bamboozled by this.”

**October 10, Gravity Falls, Oregon**

“I think you need more…glitter!”

“Mabel, you are not putting any glitter on me!”

“Aw, why not?”

Dipper made a face at his twin, giving her a halfhearted scowl that seemed to fly right by her. He adjusted the tie around his neck as Mabel used the lint roller on the back of his black suit with tail coats. Even though it was just home coming, he didn’t see why he couldn’t wear the somewhat fancy looking suit. Annie said she was wearing white with blue accessories, so Mabel helped him the best she could on color coordinating.

“Alright, you’re ready now,” she beamed, stepping back to admire her handiwork. Underneath the lamplight, her clear color necklace cast rainbow prisms across the floor and on the front of his hands. She looked beautiful in her hot pink sweetheart neckline dress with six inch silver colored heels. Over the years, she just kept growing more and more beautiful to the point where it got their Grunkles even more protective of her. Boys their age and even grown men would stop and stare at her as she walked, much to the older men’s dismay.

Of course, she would just respond sweetly by saying, “You can’t call yourself a woman until you can stop a man in his tracks by a single look.”

And, not surprisingly, their Grunkles didn’t like that one bit.

However, Mabel’s date for the evening was not a boy from their school or from the college nearby, but rather Pacifica Northwest. The very Pacifica that only a few years ago was her rival and now, someone who was very important to her. “Are you going to ask her out?” he asked her causally but with an undertone of seriousness. “I think she really likes you.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s going to be the one doing the asking,” she responded as she applied a little more blush to her cheeks. “This is Pacifica we’re talking about here. If I ask her out, I think it’ll put too much pressure on her. She’s the type of person who will only do certain things on her own terms and when she’s ready.”

“So you think she’ll be the one asking tonight?”

“If not tonight, then sometime soon,” the brunette girl shrugged her shoulders, smiling fondly as she thought of her date. “She still thinks of herself as a bad person; someone who doesn’t deserve kindness after the stunts her family has pulled. If I could tell her one thing,” Mabel’s smile only seemed to grow, making the whole room seem brighter than before. “Is that I don’t think she’s bad at all and in spite of everything in the world, she has a really good heart.”

“Wow Mabel, I’m impressed,” he truly was; it was not very often to find Mabel saying mature and grownup things. “Hopefully this night will be fun. Imagine if Bill showed up. Even The Beast!”

“You better knock on wood,” she warned, wagging a finger at him. “If this night is ruined, it will be all your fault.”

“Alright, alright. Yeesh.”

He opened the door from their once shared room in the attic that was now his. Mabel’s heels clomped down the stairs that reminded him faintly of a horse. Their Grunkles were in the living room, with Ford reading some book on physics and Stan watching re-runs of _Duck-tective_ on their small cheap television set.

“Ta-da!” Mabel twirled around once, letting more light cast prisms across the living room. Her voice caught both men’s attention and they looked up from their previous activities. Mabel placed both hands on her hips, smiling confidently. “How do I look?”

“You look beautiful,” Ford smiled, setting the book down and stood up to get a better look at her. “Absolutely stunning.”

“Yeah,” Stan agreed before giving a suspicious look. “How much did that dress cost?”

“Stanley!”

“Relax poindexter,” Grunkle Stan snickered as he headed over to where they were gathered in the center of the living room, placing a hand on Mabel’s shoulder. “You look beautiful, sweetie. You remember to put mace in your purse?”

“I put my grappling hook in instead!”

“That’s my girl.”

As his Grunkles lectured Mabel the dangers of high school boys, he took the time to look at himself once more. It didn’t feel like it, but he really had grown over the course of the summer. He wasn’t close enough to six feet; he wasn’t a tall and lean giant like Wirt who had finally grown taller than his step-father. Even his acne wasn’t as bad as it used to be and that was saying something. He was beginning to look more like his father.

The thought of his parents made his heart ache and he wished bitterly they were here. He missed hearing their voices; missed seeing them. The accident only two years ago that claimed their lives still played in his head sometimes. Even when he lay awake at night thinking or from having the usual nightmare he would start thinking of them again.

A part of him even wondered if it was truly an accident, but he never voiced that theory out loud. He and Mabel had already suffered enough and he didn’t want to overwhelm her.

“Dipper my boy, are you there?”

He jumped at the sound of Grunkle Ford’s voice and laughed nervously; face now only a few shades lighter than Mabel’s dress. “Y…yeah, just got lost in thought,” he lied and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I’m fine; really.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” Ford nodded, patting him soundly on the back and then laying his hand down on his shoulder. “Make sure to look after your sister. We all know how teenage boys can get.”

“If anything happens, make sure to knock a couple of their teeth out,” Stan narrowed his eyes, as if trying to appear stern but he could see a small glimmer of pride in his old eyes. “You remember how to give someone an uppercut, right?”

“Grunkle Stan, Ford,” Mabel sighed dramatically, linking her arm into his. “Dipper is the one who fought Bill with his bare hands at the Northwest mansion even when that Dorito monster had him backed into a corner.”

He gingerly touched his cheek, as though the sting from the demon’s cane was still there. That day had been a nightmare; the injuries taking a long time to heal. Grunkle Ford nodded his head in agreement, but he still looked concerned. “Just be safe,” the older man advised, a warning well kept by the two of them. “We still don’t know what our enemies are up to and we must be ready for anything.”

“But have fun,” Grunkle Stan continued, a sly grin forming. “And try not to get into too much trouble.”

“We’ll try not to,” Mabel grabbed him by the hand, practically yanking him out the front door as Pacifica’s limo pulled into the front yard. “But no promises!”

~

Picking everyone up was…well, to put it bluntly, awkward.

After picking up Wirt, Candy, Grenda and their dates, their chauffer drove in the direction of Valentina’s house. He had never seen where she lived before, but it was on the slightly nicer side of town. Nothing like Pacifica’s house, but it was two stories high and rather wide with a neatly trimmed fence. Upper middle class is what she said her family was but she didn’t elaborate on what her parents did for a living. Or maybe she had and he forgot.

Anyways, he and the others watched through the limousine window as Mr. Romano pretty much intimidated and lectured Wirt about not making a move on his daughter and how she had to be home before midnight or there would be repercussions. Wirt’s face was the color of Valentina’s dress when they got into the vehicle and he let out a huge sigh, looking at their friend incredulously. “What was that?” he asked in astonishment. “I thought he was going to throw me off the porch.”

“Yeah, sorry,” the girl sighed, rolling her eyes. “My dad is super overprotective but I think he just likes to control what I do. It took me since summer break to convince them to let me go to the dance. My parents think that reckless and immoral children go to dances. They wouldn’t even let me pick out my own dress.”

While what she was wearing wasn’t ugly at all, it didn’t really look like something one would wear to a dance. Rather it looked like she was going to Church or something of that sort.

“Hopefully Annie’s not having a rough time,” Valentina sighed, turning her head to gaze out the window. “You guys know it’s her birthday tomorrow, right?”

“I don’t think she mentioned it,” Candy shrugged and then turned to the boy next to her and asked him something in Korean. The boy, a foreign exchange student named Kim Seong-Hun, shook his head and replied back. Candy then turned back to them, shaking her head once. “He did not know either.”

“We should celebrate!” Mabel pumped a fist into the air. “We should go out for ice cream! Right after midnight!”

“Won’t the ice cream parlor be closed?”

“We don’t need an ice cream parlor!”

“Mabel’s right,” Pacifica nodded, looking at her date in barely concealed awe. “We should do something festive.”

They pulled Mr. Poolcheck’s drive way, and he felt a little ashamed that he thought their yard would look cluttered with workout equipment. The only thing that could be used as a workout device was the bicycle that leaned against the shed on the left side of the house. It wasn’t a large house, but it looked comfortable enough.

He hopped out of the vehicle, walking casually up the yard and knocked on the door as smoothly as possible. It opened, revealing an impressively muscular Mr. Poolcheck and a girl dressed in white. His eyes almost bulged out of his skull at the sight of Annie. Normally she wore hoodies and random t-shirts but now she looked like almost a completely different person.

Her medium length blonde hair had been pulled into a messy bun and from what it looked like, she had make up on. Not as elaborate as the other girls, but still noticeable. A simple blue flower pin was in her hair, and when she noticed him staring at her, she flushed either in embarrassment or anger. “I’m ready,” was all she said. Not a hello or hey Dipper you look nice.

Mr. Poolcheck didn’t say much either. He addressed his daughter with a firm nod, telling her to have a good time and that was it. They stepped out of the house and into the vehicle, the girls instantly starting up chatter. “That’s such a pretty hairpin,” Mabel looked at it with such amazement; it was hard not to be amused. “Where did you get it?”

Annie just flushed light pink and touched her blonde hair carefully. “My dad got it for me.”

That was all she had to say about it and for the remainder of the trip to the school, she was silent. While everyone else chattered about, he noticed the two girls. Almost always together, no matter what time of day. For a moment, he swore he saw their hands touching together deliberately but shook it off as his imagination. He’d always had a sinking suspicion that there was something more between them and maybe Wirt knew but the taller male wasn’t saying anything.

Gravity Falls’ high school was adorned with a mixture of homecoming and Halloween decorations. Despite the entire school consisting of less than two hundred students, the place was packed. A part of him wished that Wendy and the rest of her gang were here, but they had started their junior years in college and had adventures of their own to explore. He could respect that but that didn’t erase the fact that he missed her.

Right now, the gymnasium floor was packed with students and other kids from the high schools nearby. Mabel pulled Pacifica by the hand, saying something about the song being played. Grenda and Candy followed close behind dragging their dates behind them. From the corner of his eye, he could see Wirt and Valentina, the latter trying to show him some dance move that he was failing to learn. The boy’s face was beat red but despite that, he looked to be having fun.

He had to smile softly at that. Grunkle Stan was right; they did deserve a break from all that was going on around them.

“Are you wanting to dance?”

He jumped at Annie’s voice, the short girl fidgeting next to him uncomfortably. It wasn’t often anyone got any reaction out of her but here she was standing quite apprehensively next to him and staring anxiously at the crowd. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, ears catching Mabel’s shout of enthusiasm. “I’m not a good dancer,” he admitted awkwardly but then looked back to Wirt. “However, I’m not as bad as him.”

She smirked a little at that. “I’m not very good either.”

“Then let’s go.”

He took her by the hand, which seemed to surprise her for some reason. Surrounded by their friends, they danced awkwardly, though she seemed to be having fun. A tiny smile had formed on her face, making her seem a lot younger than she usually appeared. It was nice seeing her smile; she had one that reminded him of Mabel’s.

The hours seemed to tick on and eventually eleven-thirty rolled around. The dance would be over at midnight and by this point, most of the students had cleared out to go to after parties or home. Much to his delight, BABA had started playing an hour ago and though his dance moves were nothing compared to Mabel’s, he still busted several moves that he swore made Annie giggle somewhat.

“This is nice,” she half shouted at him through the blare of the music coming through the speakers. “I’m…I’m having fun.”

“That’s good!” he called back, nudging her a little. “This is the first dance I’ve been to here; they don’t normally interest me that much. But it’s really hard to say no to Mabel.”

“Same with Valentina,” Annie nodded in agreement, shaking her small hips awkwardly to the beat of the song. “She drags me to events all the time regardless of whether I want to go or not. Sometimes it’s fun.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” he stepped a little closer to him, glancing over at the dark haired girl who was still dancing with Wirt. Even though he looked really sweaty and kind of gross from dancing so hard. “Are you two going out?”

“Who? Me and Wirt. God no.”

Well she didn’t have to phrase it like that. He frowned, shaking his dark hair. “No, I mean you and Valentina. I mean, you two spend a lot of time together and all, so I was wondering…”

“You and Mabel hang out all the time,” the relaxed expression she had on her face had changed and now she looked anything but pleasant. “Should everyone assume you’re fucking?”

“Hey,” that was uncalled for and by the looks of his glare directed towards her, she seemed to sense it as well for she backed up a little. “It was just a question. There was no need to say something disgusting like that.”

“…Sorry,” she muttered, though he could barely hear it over the loud music being played in the room. Then she sighed, glaring up at him. “I don’t see why you care; why is my business any of yours?”

“It was just a question!”

“Yeah, well you can keep them to yourself,” he noticed Wirt and Valentina staring at him. With Wirt, he wasn’t surprised since he seemed to have an intuition not some sort when something bad was going down. How Valentina knew, he had no idea. Annie, despite being a lot shorter than himself, continued to glare fiercely at him. “You’re a smart guy, so I think you can put the two together. So what are you going to do with this information? Spread it around?”

“What? No!” This was strange; he’d never seen her act like this before. Normally when she made threats or accusations, the most apathetic expression he had ever seen was worn on her face. Now, she looked downright pissed. Okay, maybe not pissed, but something similar to it. Would it really be the worst thing for him to know that she and Valentina were dating? Who was he going to tell? He wasn’t a snitch that was for certain.

“I don’t care if you spread things about me around,” she growled at him, and for a moment, he was a tiny bit worried that she was going to punch him or something. “But if you hurt her, I swear I will end you!”

She stormed out of the gym, as well as she could in those tiny heels of hers that she seemed to stumble on. He scratched his head, the evening now kind of soured by her little outburst. “Well that was weird,” he grumbled, not quite sure what to do now.

“What the hell was that about?”

Valentina had appeared next to him, hands on her hips as she watched the doors to the gym swing close. She glanced over at him, eyes almost appearing black due to the dim lighting. He sighed, rubbing his now itching forehead. “I don’t really know. All I asked was if you and her were dating.”

If anything, the dark brunette girl paled slightly and glanced at Wirt accusingly. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

“No!”

“Relax, I kind of figured it out myself,” he shook his head at her and she backed off of Wirt, still looking kind of upset. “Why’s it such a big deal anyway? It’s 2015.”

“Have you met my parents?” she sighed in exasperation, not meeting anyone’s eyes as she spoke. “They’re extremely conservative, and I mean, to the point they’ve said homosexuals should be shoved off the face of the earth or something like that. If they ever found out that Annie and I are together,” she shivered at the very thought. “I don’t know what they would do to me.”

“What about Annie?”

“I honestly don’t know what her dad thinks of the situation. I’ve known her dad since I was a kid but he’s so difficult to read. He’s had a hard time and I know she doesn’t want to burden him or break his heart.”

“Yikes,” he felt bad now; he hadn’t meant to cause her to freak out. Not that he was expecting her to, but still. “I’m sorry, really.”

“It’s not your fault; Wirt and his brother are the only two who know,” she frowned suddenly, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Still though, I thought she would have punched you or something. Running really isn’t her first way to handle things.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, she’s been acting strange all week. I thought she was on her period or having problems with her dad, but I don’t think that’s the case,” she took off across the room, the sound of her heels lost in the pulse of the music. “I’m going to go find her!” she called, looking over her shoulder briefly. “I’ll be back!”

“I’ll go with her,” Wirt trudged after her, looking somewhat exasperated with the whole situation. “Or else her dad will kill me.”

Well, this wasn’t how he expected his evening to turn out. He turned around to get Mabel only to find her heading off in the direction of the bathroom with Pacifica, Candy and Grenda. The other two boys were by the punch bowl talking about whatever. The rest of the group seemed to be having fun, or at least, appeared to be having fun.

Great. Fantastic.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall. It was now eleven-forty five and the dance would be over soon. He sighed in relief, wishing this now ruined night would be over. He had no idea how he was going to talk to the two girls at school. Maybe Valentina would talk some sense into her girlfriend and she would realize how crazy she’d been acting and apologize.

“I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you, Pine Tree.”

He felt as if something just crawled up his spine and his heart dropped all the way into his stomach. A presence seemed to loom behind him as a pair of arms wrapped around him. He felt warm breath next to his ear and despite that, he shivered and pushed away from the hold of someone he never wanted to see. “Bill!” he snarled, hands curling defensively into fists. “What do you want? Here to ruin my night even further?”

“Woah, you really need to take a breather, Pine Tree,” Bill smiled, but it certainly was not a pleasant smile. Rather it made him feel like a deer being stalked by a mountain lion. “I could help you with that, you know.”

“Stay away from me! And from my friends!”

“Relax; I’m not here for them. Right now, anyway,” the demon snickered, glancing over at the girls’ bathroom where Mabel and the other girls were. “I’m actually here on official business tonight.”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, backing up two steps as more BABA music played around him. The rainbow lights coming from the disco ball up above made Bill look even more horrifying as multi colored rays cast over his body. “What kind of business?” he asked, hoping the demon would reply. Anything useful that he could give to Ford and the others, but he doubted Bill would give anything helpful away for free.

“Oh, we were just out collecting a few things we need,” Bill smiled at him, as if he were talking to a child. “We just reclaimed this little doll here, want to see it?”

He held up his gloved hand and a blue flame burst into the air. At first he thought it was nothing, but then the flame changed form, becoming more physical. A china doll hovered in the air next to him, her smooth blonde hair and dark blue dress glowing eerily in the dimmed gymnasium. He watched as Bill’s serene looking smile changed into a dastardly smirk. “I’m sure you know what this is, Pine Tree.”

“That…” he felt his eyes grow wide at the sight of the little doll, its eyes remaining shut despite being propped up in midair. “That’s the Vessel of Sloth. Wait, where did you get that? Who did you hurt? Did you hurt some little girl! Or someone’s Grandma?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Pine Tree,” Bill scoffed, the doll disappearing with a snap of his fingers. “I didn’t steal it from some little brat or an old hag. Nor are they hurt, though I imagine they will be real soon.”

“What does that mean?”

“Go see for yourself. I think she’s right outside having a little mini panic episode.”

 He ignored Bill’s obnoxious laughter and ran across the gymnasium floor, barely hearing Mabel’s shocked gasp as she returned from the bathroom and saw Bill. He pushed the doors open, finding himself standing in the almost vacant parking lot where Valentina and Wirt were fighting three witches. Despite his new found friend being awkward at best sometimes, he looked like a fighting machine right now. Dodging the hexes being cast his way and trying his very best to get the upper hand. He knew Valentina knew how to fence but he didn’t think she was this good. She was in a match with a witch who wielded a sword made from bright green energy. How on earth the girl managed to find a long pole was a mystery, but she wielded it with few issue.

“See?” he heard Bill’s voice again, an arm now wrapping around his shoulder. “Looks like your two little friends are fighting some witches right now. Annoying witches, but they do the job alright.”

He looked around the parking lot, suddenly realizing Annie wasn’t there. “Where’s Annie?” he asked, pulling away from the arm. “Annie!”

He could see her through the midst of the fighting gripping onto the lamppost. Her face was ashen and she kept twitching as if she were fighting something off. The blonde witch fighting Valentina kept trying to get close to her but the Italian girl was having none of it. Beside him, Bill laughed again. “It’ll be her birthday in a few minutes; sixteen I believe,” a clock burst out of nowhere next to Bill and he looked at it. “In a about five minutes and then we’ll see if she’s a witch or not.”

He glared at Bill, backing away from him and eyes scanning the area for anything that could be of use. Oh wait, this was Bill. None of these things would hurt him but if he could keep him at bay that would be great. He had to keep the demon away from. Had to keep him away from…Mabel! “Where’s my sister?” he snapped, watching the grin grow unnaturally wider. “Where’s my sister?”

“Take a chill pill, Pine Tree, she’s fine. I would never hurt Shooting Star. Intentionally,” he laughed once more, the sound sending more chills up his spine. “I locked her and your other friends in the gym. Don’t want any interruptions now do we?”

He slapped the hand the traced his cheek away, standing his ground as Bill looked disappointed and examined his now slapped hand. “That kind of hurt, Pine Tree,” Bill said this as if they were discussing the weather and waved his hand in a clockwise motion. “We can’t have you thinking you’re in charge here, now can we?”

He found himself slammed into the windshield of a nearby car, body screaming as fiery pain shot through. He could feel blood dribbling down his arm as glass cut into his skin and maybe one of two of his ribs were broken in the process. The sound of the car blaring rang in his ears and he could barely make out his friends calling to him. He could see Bill looming over him but he was in too much pain to even move. “See what you made me do?” Bill clicked his tongue, shaking his head in disapproval. “I don’t like hurting things that belong to me, Pine Tree.”

“Dipper!”

He could see Valentina running towards him and interrupting the fight she was currently in. The blonde witch didn’t seem too interested in her, for she kept her eyes trained on Annie the whole time. Bill looked at the girl running towards them, frowning in irritation. “I don’t like interruptions,” something sharp morphed into his hands. “I’ll just take care of her real fast.”

He threw the object, and he could only watch in horror as it traveled through the air. He screamed her name, shouting at her to duck but it was too late. The dagger or whatever it was that Bill threw at her  fly right into her right eye. She let out the most bloodcurdling scream he’d ever heard and collapsed onto the ground, droplets of blood splattering onto the concrete ground. He couldn’t tell if the blade was still in her eye for she curled into a ball with her hands covering her face, still screaming and now crying.

“Humans,” Bill sounded completely disgusted. “You cry at the most minor of things.”

Minor? That did it. He winced as he moved off the car windshield, right fist aiming towards Bill’s face. Only the demon grabbed his wrist, bending it backwards in an agonizingly slow manor. “Honestly, Pine Tree, you’re such a masochist,” Bill smirked before finally snapping his wrist, letting him fall back on the car hood. “Always wanting me to hurt you.”

“Fuck you!”

He felt a hand lightly press on his leg. “Language,” Bill tisked, but the light pressure on his leg was warning enough. “Wouldn’t want me to break your leg now, would you?”

As he lay against the car hood under Bill’s insane gaze, he glanced out the corner of his eye to his friend lying on the ground. Wirt had managed to knock out his opponent and now he had his arms around the girl, shirt now half ripped as he used it to cauterize the blood oozing from her eye. All it did was stain his hands red, but he didn’t appear too concerned about that right now.

“Annnnd it’s midnight,” Bill chirped suddenly, but it didn’t look like he cared too much. “Not that witches interest me at all, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen a claiming done. First time for everything!”

He averted his eyes from the demon, but the pressure on his leg remained and prevented him from getting up. He wanted to call out to Annie; to help her but he could do nothing. A full moon was out tonight, peeking out from the clouds and glowing ominously down at the world. Annie still looked awful, panting and pale as she leaned against the phone pole holding her arms to prevent herself from throwing up.

Then all of a sudden she wasn’t. She stilled for one moment and took a sharp inhalation of breath. Her already pale skin seemed to glow like alabaster. She kept gasping, both hands behind her as she gripped the pole. A magnetic force of some sort kept pulling at her and her eyes were narrowed tightly due to the bright light of her skin. The moon kept glowing down on her and the blonde witch cackled.

“It appears she wasn’t so useless after all,” the blonde woman, who held a strange resemblance to Annie now that he looked at her, seemed proud. “A late bloomer. It seems our master was right.”

The witch next to her, a girl around fourteen with dark hair in pigtails, shrugged. “He always is,” she glanced at Bill quickly. “Why is he still here?”

“Ignore him,” the woman snapped lightly and he was slightly surprised that Bill didn’t do anything about that. “We’ll be leaving here shortly with what we came here for.”

Annie’s skin had stopped glowing and the moon once again hid behind the clouds. She collapsed to the concrete ground, looking at her left arm in horror. He couldn’t see what was on her arm, but he knew it must have been bad.

“That was it?” Bill didn’t look impressed. He looked rather bored, examining his gloved hand as though they were just manicured. He then sighed, returning his gaze back down at him and smiled way too cheerfully. “Well as interesting as that was, let’s get going Pine Tree.”

Wait. What?

He found himself being picked up, one arm hooked under his knees and the other supporting his upper body. Just like a bride being picked up by her groom, only in this situation, the groom was a horrifyingly annoying and dangerous demon. He flailed about, blue glowing handcuffs now appearing around his wrists. “PUT ME DOWN!” he hollered, struggling in Bill’s long, yet surprisingly strong arms. “LET ME GO! WIRT! WIRT! MABEL!”

As if on cue, the doors to the gym opened and he could see his twin. She screamed his name and began to run towards him.

That was the last he saw of her before the whole parking lot burst into bright light and she disappeared from his field of vision.

~

**Gravity Falls hospital, October 11, 1:30 am**

“How is she?”

Wirt limped over to Annie, placing a Styrofoam cup of coffee in her hands. She looked down right awful; her blonde hair messy and bags developing under her red rimmed eyes. He felt bad and he squeezed her hand in support. He hadn’t known Bill would show up.

Nor did he even suspect that Dipper would be kidnapped.

Right after Dipper vanished, he could only watch as Mabel fell to her knees, eyes wide with shock. Pacifica kept shaking her, tears flowing down her cheeks as she tried to speak with her. The police had come as well as an ambulance and they had already given their statements as to what had happened. Of course, with the whole act that had been passed right after Weirdmaggedon, the two officers didn’t really want to push the whole investigation.

The guilty part of him was glad that The Beast didn’t show up to take him as well, but something still didn’t sit right with him. What was the point of taking Dipper? If Bill really wanted to, he could have done it months ago. Why now? Did Annie’s claiming as a witch have something to do with it? All these questions kept swimming around, causing his tired mind to pulse with pain.

He looked down to Annie’s left arm, frowning at the symbols that had embedded into the underside of her arm. All eight phases of the moon in black ink, with the full moon right in the middle with some sort of design on it that looked ancient.

“I don’t know what it means,” she grumbled, wrapping the blanket on her shoulders tighter around her. “Maybe Mabel’s uncle knows…”

He swallowed tightly, remembering how unresponsive the girl had been. When Ford and Stan had arrived, they looked so broken as they gathered the girl. Stan held her in his arms so tightly he thought she would break, but she just held onto him and then burst into tears. He couldn’t imagine what that would be like. First she lost her parents, and now her twin disappeared right in front of her and she couldn’t do anything about it.

He looked across the hospital room where Valentina slept on a drug induced sleep. She looked so peaceful despite the heavy white bandages across her right eye. Annie scooted closer to her, eyes brimming with tears. “I couldn’t…” she trailed off wobbly. “I couldn’t protect her.”

“It’s not your fault,” he tried to reassure her, but she wasn’t listening. He continued to press on, touching her shoulder lightly. “This is my fault. If I had never ventured into The Unknown…”

“Don’t,” she wiped her eyes, sniffing in her nose as put her hand down. “If I didn’t have powers or something this wouldn’t have happened. The doctors…the doctors said she’ll never see out of her right eye again. That bastard…”

He didn’t expect Valentina’s eye to flutter open, but it did. She made a painful face, wincing loudly as she tried to sit up. “Dipper…” she started, looking disoriented and drowsy. “What…what happened? Bill did something….”

“Bill took Dipper,” Annie finished mournfully, face full of emotions she didn’t typically wear. “And who knows what he’s doing with him.”

“Oh God…”

“How are you feeling?” Annie asked her, taking her hand into hers. “Do you need a nurse? More medicine?”

“No,” Valentina shook her head, right hand squeezing Annie’s. Her left hand gingerly touched the bandages on her face. “Just stay with me, alright? Don’t go.”

“I won’t.”

He flushed pink as they leaned forward and kissed, turning away to give them some sort of privacy. The moment he did, the door slammed open as Mr. and Mrs. Romano stormed in. “What in God’s name happened?” the man all but shouted, his wife looking equally as angry. “And what the hell are you two doing?”

Annie opened her mouth to say something but Valentina cut her off, looking at her girlfriend with a tired face. “I’m tired of hiding what we have; I could have died tonight and I want to be able to kiss you and not feel like we have something illegal,” she then turned to her parents once more. “Mom, Dad, Annie and I are together. We have been for a while and I really, really love her.”

He really wanted to leave but there was no way he was getting out with her parents blocking the door. Mr. Romano’s face went from pink, to red, to purple and then back to pink all within a matter of seconds while his wife just turned very pale. “You’re a lesbian?” he asked, voice almost a whisper.

“Yes,” Valentina nodded, squeezing Annie’s hand again. “And I’ve been in love with her for a long time.”

The girl’s parents said nothing for a moment, looking at each other occasionally. Mrs. Romano burst into tears, placing her face in her hands and cried. “My daughter’s going to hell!” she wailed and ran out of the room, leaving Valentina to watch her with one wide eye

Mr. Romano stared at his daughter for a few more seconds before turning away, his back now to her. Before he left, he paused and began to speak. “I’ll talk to my sister about letting you live with her. I’ll have someone send your things to her house. After that, I never want to see you again,” he shook his head, glaring slightly at her as he shifted his body around. “You have disgraced your mother and I. Consider this our last gift to you."

The door to the room closed and silence fell over the room. A few tears slipped down the girl’s cheek, her lower lip trembling. Annie looked downright pissed and while he knew she wanted to go run after them and beat the living daylights out of them, she didn’t. “They’re the disgusting ones,” she grumbled, biting her lip furiously. “Not us. And you’re not a disgrace.”

“I know,” Valentina wiped her one good eye, sniffing loudly as her body shook a little. “But…but those are my parents…and they kicked me out as if I’m nothing to them.”

He didn’t say anything, opting to stare at his mismatched shoes. What could he do? This was his place to say anything at all. Her parents were jerks, he could tell that from the start, but how could they do this? He had heard about parents kicking out their own kids, but he had never witnessed it before. It reminded him about the world. It left a bitter feeling in his chest as he was reminded once again of its callousness and cruelty.

But looking at these two girls, how Annie let her girlfriend cry on her shoulder, he couldn’t help but be reminded there were still good things in it.

The door opened once again and he braced himself for another retort from Valentina’s father, but instead a soft voice spoke out. “Annie?”

Annie froze, shifting around slowly as a blonde man stood in the room. He looked tired; not at all confident looking as he usually did. “Dad,” Annie’s voice cracked, her eyes never leaving his. “What…”

“Mr. Romano caught me in the hall,” he blurted out awkwardly, opting to stare at the wall. “Is it…Is it true?”

Annie took one look at her girlfriend, who looked at her back and nodded in support .”Yes,” Annie told him, the hand that wasn’t holding her girlfriend’s tightening into a fist. “There’s other things I haven’t told you yet either and-“

She never did finish her sentence. She was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping around her body in a bone gripping hug. Mr. Poolcheck sighed brokenly. “I’m so glad you’re safe,” he murmured loud enough for everyone to hear.  “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t have you here. I love you so much, Anneliese.”

He briefly wondered if this was the first hug she’d received from her father in a long time, but he didn’t stick around to ask. He smiled tightly, a little uncomfortable now and slipped out the door and into the quiet hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DX DX DX DX DX DX DX DX DIPPER!!!!!! If Mabel were here, I'm pretty sure she'd kill me. Ford and Stan too. I promise there is a reason Bill took Dipper! Or maybe he just got bored or impatient and decided to take him when he was least suspecting it. This is Bill we're talking about, random and crazy, but always having something under his sleeve. I'll update again soon!
> 
> I was inspired by Ridley's claiming scene from the movie Beautiful creatures. Here's a link!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFY9JbikKNM


	19. Courting song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I think the title of this chapter explains it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll save most of the comments for the botom, but I apologize in advance for this chapter.

_Hi dee diddly um de dum de day!_

_What a merry time we'll have upon your wedding day_

_Hi dee diddly um de dum de day!_

_There's work for all when little boys get married!_

_~Courting song by Frank Fairfield~_

**(Gravity Falls Forest)**

Bill Cipher was just all too pleased with himself.

Really, it was just sickening to watch and he felt tempted to turn his expression away. The woods were mostly quiet tonight, reminding him faintly of the time before time. When there were no humans and the chaos they wrecked across the planet. He and his kind, including other species, were so much older; superior and wiser in every sense of the word. Then of course Wuya had lost her mind and became human, creating that wretched child of hers that almost brought his demise.

Though, his beloved Lover boy was the only thing good that came out of the whole situation. And if the human race had never come to life, then Bill would never have received his “Pine Tree” or whatever name it was that he called him.

Speaking of said boy, he moved his shadow-like and almost transparent body over to where he slept peacefully on the forest floor. For once, the boy was without his hat, showing off his somewhat messy medium brown hair. He was still wearing his attire from that silly dance but due to the enchantment Bill placed on him with the help from one of the fairies, he was put into a sleep and would not wake up unless the illuminati demon wanted him to.

He didn’t think there was anything truly remarkable about the boy. True, he was very intelligent and a bit cleverer than most meat suits, but there was nothing else that set him apart from the rest of the human race. He was as mortal and vulnerable as the rest of them. Perhaps it was Bill just getting a form of revenge, or curse the flesh sticks’ souls that he had actually fallen in love with the boy.

He certainly hoped it wasn’t the latter. If not for Bill’s sake as well as his own.

“I haven’t decided yet. This yellow suit,” Bill held up a yellow and black tux in front of Ruby, who was the only witch who could tolerate his presence as of right now. “Or this yellow suit?”

All she did was frown, tilting her head slightly to the right and squinting her eyes suspiciously. “They look exactly the same, Cipher.”

Bill just rolled his one eye dramatically, levitating both suits so he could place his hands on his slim and narrow hips. “No, the one on the right is yellow with a black bowtie,” and then moved the one on the left forward slightly, making a big show of how this one was different. “And the one on the left is yellow with a navy blue bowtie.”

From a distance, he could hear Queen Titania smacking her forehead with exasperation while the fairies around her buzzed in annoyance. Behind them, hidden deep in the tall Pine and Ever green trees, something in the darkness stirred. Every so often an eye with silver pupils would open, but then closed. The Morrigan was still not at full strength, but with each passing day she kept growing stronger. The witches had been busy finding humans for her to devour. Old humans, young humans, it didn’t matter much to her. She drained them in a slow process, first consuming the skin, and then the bones before sinking her teeth into the soft organs. The most sadistic thing was, the humans she devoured could feel every minute of it until she consumed their souls. Bill of course found it hilarious, but even he kept his distance. The old one was not picky on what she consumed and if she ate him, it would take an entire army of demons to subdue and bind her again.

She wasn’t called the Mother of Demons for nothing, after all. How she created them; he was a bit fuzzy on the details but she ate the children she deemed unworthy to survive. He, and of course Bill, along with Wuya and a few others had managed to escape her tirade and pave their own way. Each with abilities and personalities of their own. While the witches fed the old one, the fairies were working day and night to keep her asleep and happy. They had a different origin but none the less had the same goals as demons and found toying with the fleshies just as fun as they did.

He turned his focus back to the boy asleep on the long grass of the forest. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a goblin creep over, floating carefully towards the teenager with the intent to carry him off and share him with the rest of his kind.

He smirked at this. How foolish that creature was.

Of course Bill took notice immediately. His head turned around a full ninety degrees before he pointed a finger at the monster and shot a blue laser-like beam at him. The goblin didn’t even have time to scream as he exploded, his remains falling onto the forest floor and being picked up by other creatures to be consumed or stored away for safe keeping.

“ANYONE WHO TRIES TO TOUCH HIM AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU, AND THEN BRING YOU BACK ALIVE JUST TO KILL YOU ALL OVER AGAIN!” Bill snarled, body glowing red with rage. “AND THEN, I WILL RIP OUT YOUR EYEBALLS AND FEED THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN!”

Every creature in the clearing did wise to scatter away from the sleeping boy. Bill glared at everyone in the clearing before the red hue faded and adjusted his top hat casually, smiling a sharp smile towards Ruby as she stared at him with an unimpressed face. “Anyways, what were you saying?”

Oh, he hadn’t even realized Ruby had been talking. As he stood leaning against a tree and let his piercing and hollow eyes stare at Bill intensely. Ruby looked up from the little cellphone in her hands, typing away at the device while speaking in a somewhat interested tone. “Why him?” she asked, still not looking up. “He’s nothing special. Is this because of Ford?”

“It’s funny how dumb you are,” Bill stated bluntly, chuckling at the girl’s annoyed face and looked towards the sleeping teenager. “But no, old sixer has nothing to do with it. Although I have to say that making him miserable does give me some odd satisfaction. Oh wait, it’s not odd at all!”

“Then why him?”

“Come on over,” before the girl could even blink, Bill was by the boy’s side in a kneeling position. He pushed back the boy’s chestnut brown bangs to reveal a symbol on his forehead. The big dipper. Interesting. So that’s how the child received his name. He had thought for a while the boy’s parents just hated him.

“See this symbol? Long before the humans came around; I created it and sent it into the future to appear on someone. I think the fleshies are calling it soul mate marks or something; who cares. I would not know who or what it would attach to, so that made it all the more fun, wouldn’t you agree?” when she didn’t reply, he just patted her on the head and continued speaking. “Imagine my surprise when Pine Tree accidentally revealed this mark of beauty to me. And I was about to kill him too! Boy, that would have been a real nightmare; trying to convince the fates to bring him back for me.”

Ruby just nodded her head, not looking at her phone any longer. “So, he’s your soul mate? Interesting, I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen it happen.”

“That’s because I’m the one who invented it,” Bill sounded smug, gloved fingers moving over the spot in a loving caress. “The mortals think they know what it’s like to have a soul mate, but they have no idea. I’ve been waiting _eons_ for Pine Tree to be born. And now that he’s here, I don’t have to wait anymore.”

She looked skeptic, and for a moment, he briefly wondered if Bill was going to smite her into oblivion as well. “If that’s the case,” she stuffed her phone into her pocket, placing her hands on her tiny early teen hips. “Then why didn’t you take him earlier? Why wait till now to take him?”

“Because Cerny over there,” Bill looked in his direction, making a face at him. “Found out I told my Pine Tree about his Lover Boy’s origins. Apparently he wanted to deliver the news himself. So, I had no choice but to take him away where he won’t snitch to anyone that Lover Boy is technically a hybrid. Also-”

“Oh,” her phone beeped again, interrupting whatever Bill was beginning to say. The dream demon glared at the device, looking rather tempted to smack it out of her hand. She then looked back at him, shrugging her shoulders. “Continue?”

He gave one more glare before clearing his throat. “As I was saying, when we get the items all gathered again there are steps we have to follow. We need mortal blood to connect them together, since you know, mortal sin and all that. And since Cerny is pissed at me for telling Pine Tree secret information, we both figured we might as well use Pine Tree to be the offering.”

“So you’re going to kill him.”

“Goodness no! That would be stupid! My, my, you witches aren’t very bright,” she made a face at that, which went unnoticed by Bill. “We won’t bleed him dry, but we’ll bleed enough so that we can jumpstart our goal. After that, I’ll heal him and we can live happily ever after in my Fearamid.”

This didn’t surprise him at all but he did wonder what they were going to do with the boy in the meantime. He supposed they could leave him there, asleep, but knowing Bill he would get bored by this and want to play with his little pet. He was patient but only for so long. Not to mention there were still two more objects, the vessels of Pride and Envy. He knew the Vessel of Envy was in The Unknown somewhere and they had already pinpointed where the Vessel of Pride was. In fact, the last one was so ironic it brought a cruel smile to his lips.

Ruby’s phone began to ring; a catchy tune that she quickly silenced by answering the call. “Hello Mr. Palmer,” she began sweetly, pausing for a few seconds while the man on the other end spoke. When he was done, she started up again in a sugary sweet tone. “Don’t you worry, sir, I will have the papers on your desk tomorrow morning and have those two meetings rescheduled.”

He had everyone right where he wanted them.

~

**(Unknown destination, November 7, 2015, Dipper’s p.o.v)**

“Nngh…what…where…am I?”

Milk chocolate brown eyes snapped open, a pair of arms throwing themselves into the air as he sat up. His heart was racing in his chest, the pulse thumping so loudly he felt sick to his stomach. He felt like he had whiplash; everything was a blur to him right now. The last thing he could remember was the homecoming dance, Valentina getting stabbed in the eye, Annie’s claiming and…

Bill! Bill had kidnapped him!

It was all coming back to him, his heart aching as a painful reminder of the situation he was in. His fingers clenched whatever it was underneath him, thin appendages curling against the soft…silk? He looked down, frowning in confusion. This was a bedspread. A very ornately designed bed spread that he swore he had seen somewhere. It was white, with gold trimming at the end. Flowers colored a dark shade of pink with green stems and leaves intertwined with each other. The headboard of the bed had the same pattern painted on, but with a slight difference. While it had the same pink flowers, now identified as roses, there were white lilies as well. Pure gold had been added, with intricate designs carved on it.

The drapes around the bed had the same design as the bed spread as well as the wall paper. A bit obnoxious, but it seemed pretty enough. Well, if he was a girl. This place did seem like he had seen it before, but he couldn’t recall. The room seemed to be something Mabel would like, or any other girl really. He blinked, rubbing his eyes as the view of all the flowers were making his head hurt with how bright they were.

“Wait a minute,” he grumbled, panic quickly rising in him like steam from a tea kettle. “I know exactly where I am. Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, no! How the hell did I get to France?”

And he wasn’t just anywhere in France. Oh no, he was in the bed chambers of former Queen Marie Antoinette, one of the first victims of the guillotine. Did Bill really think he could distract him with pretty flowers? He wasn’t Mabel, who could be distracted so easily ranging from sparkly vampires to a cute guy or girl standing across the street from her.

Mabel. The very thought of his twin made the lump building in his throat increase tenfold. She was his entire world; one of his last family members left. And what of Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan? God, he was supposed to protect Mabel, not get himself kidnapped! What if something bad happened to her and he wasn’t there to save her? He…he couldn’t go through another funeral. Not again; never again. He wouldn’t know what he would do with himself if something happened to Mabel and he wasn’t there to stop it.

_Click_

The door to the room suddenly opened and he braced himself, ready to launch off the bed and attack Bill or whoever it was that opened the door. He was not, however, expecting two women to be standing in the doorway. Identical, as if they were twins themselves but something was not quite right about them. Something was not quite…human.

For one, their cheek bones were incredibly sharp. Sharp enough that it made their faces looking unusually hollow. They had small, upturned noses that seemed to blend into their unnaturally pale skin, which reminded him of the first winter snow before anyone touched it. Their long straight black hair fell to their lower back and their eyes followed him as he tried to move off the bed. Their eyes were an odd indigo color with a slit for a pupil and from what he could tell, they didn’t blink or make any other facial expression at all.

As they walked towards them, the sunlight creeping in illuminated their skin. It seemed to cast an earth real glow, making them seem almost transparent. Something flickered behind them, twitching as the sunlight danced on their skin. Gossamer markings and patterns were revealed before they moved again and it disappeared.

“F…fairies,” he was awestruck and though they didn’t show it, he somehow knew they were smirking at him. He mentally scolded himself not to be impressed by this. He had to find out where Bill was and how he could get out of this place. “Who are you? Where’s Bill? I demand you take him to me!”

 _“Mitescere, parva,”_ the one on the left spoke, her voice so soft he almost strained himself to hear it.

 _“Infelicitas est ante nuptias sponsus ad sponsam,”_ the one on the right looked at one to the left, eyes holding a slight glimmer of amusement. _“Venite igitur sibi paratum.”_

Crap, he didn’t know too much Latin. He could only pick up on a few words, but none of them were helpful at alleviating the mystery of the situation. If only he had paid more attention to his study in the dead language!

They stepped closer to him faster than he could blink, their cold hands grabbing him by the upper arms and hoisting him off the bed and past the golden fence that stood in front of it. For being very tall and thin, they were extremely strong. When he tried to struggle against them their grip tightened painfully, giving a clear message that they were not afraid to use force on him. Even when the one on the left let go to go retrieve something lying on a chair in the corner, the grip on his right arm was still there in a threatening manner.

The other fairy soon returned, holding up long white sleeveless gown that sparkled in the fading afternoon sunlight. “What in the…” he trailed off, eyes widening in horror as realization finally dawned upon him. “Oh no, no, I am not wearing that. You cannot make me put that on!”

It was a bride’s dress, one pretty enough to make even the toughest of all girl’s squeal. The top part was a corset that was made of lace and had beaded designs n it that created intricate swirls and if he looked closely, triangles. Looking even closer at the damn dress, he noticed jewels had been sewn into the fabric. Pure silver and real diamonds had been added into the designs, probably making the dress feel heavier. The bottom of the dress fanned out naturally, with ruffles and added lace fitting in with the heavy diamonds that glittered in the light. The fairy turned the dress around, showing the back and it made his cheeks burn. It had an open back, which probably ended towards his lower back and would reveal quite a bit of skin that he was definitely not comfortable showing. The back probably would have been open a lot lower if it weren’t for the bustle that was attached to it, which made the dress seem to go on forever. A satin collar was attached to the dress, held together with a small chain of diamonds and pearls. Two satin pieces in the shape of vines were attached to the dress as well, and would probably lie against his shoulders.

He was so red in the face that the two fairies in the room laughed. Not kindly, but rather as if they knew something he didn’t. The one on the right snapped her fingers and a indigo light surrounded his body. He pulled out of her hold, trying to shake off that weird light but it was useless. The two fairies only snickered as he panicked, whispering something to each other that he could not understand. He felt his clothes being removed from his body, the indigo light placing the items neatly on the ottoman nearby.

He was left only in his underwear in front of these weird fairies and he crossed his arms over his chest, feeling uncomfortably exposed. The fairy on the left moved once more at incredible speed and he soon found himself siting down on one of the ottomans while she ran a fine gold toothed comb through his hair. He grunted, trying to pull away from her but when she laid a cold hand on his shoulder, he stilled. Who knows what these creatures were capable of and what they could do to him if he made them angry enough. He could push his luck and get hurt in the process, but he decided against it. He needed more answers to his questions and if he had to wait, so be it. He would bide his time and wait for the right moment to strike.

He let out an undignified shriek as something cold and wet touched his skin. He had completely forgotten about the other fairy until he saw her standing right in front of him with a golden jar in her hands. Long fingers went into the jar, dripping with clear fluid when she drew them out and wiped them on his arms, chest, stomach and his legs. He shivered as it dried; now feeling an unnaturally cold draft. When she tried to touch his face, he pulled back out of disgust and she frowned.

_SMACK_

His cheek stung lightly, giving her enough time to wipe the cold fluid on his face. She rubbed it all over and he coughed, the scent clogging his nose. Was that citrus? With a touch of vanilla? Why was she putting this oil on him?

 _“Nom enim est Lord Cipher,”_ she stated, as if he could understand her. The one combing his hair made a sound of agreement, a sound so low that no human could replicate it. It sent a thousand chills down his spine, but she didn’t seem to care for she continued to comb through his hair which had become gnarled and messy for some reason.

_“Et paratum est.”_

The comb left his hair and the two of them vanished from his vision for a few moments before returning. This time a box was in one of their arms and a pair of pure gold slippers in the other. He was only slightly relieved that the heels weren’t high but he felt his insides twist with fear as the chest opened. Hands were clasped on his arms once more and despite the threat looming over him, he fought against the fairy holding him. Indigo light was around the dress and it floated over to him. The fairy holding him stepped back, letting it go down his body before making adjustments. His body felt as if it were on fire, the utter embarrassment and shame evident on his face. A mirror stood nearby but he couldn’t bring himself to look. This wasn’t right; he didn’t understand what was going on; only that he had a sick feeling that he wasn’t going to like it.

His forehead tingled sharply, and he let out a small noise of discomfort. If the fairies noticed they didn’t do anything. They just continued fixing parts on the dress that apparently needed fixed. He continued to stand there, shame, fear and pain coursing all together through his veins. He wanted to curl up on the bed and go to sleep and then wake up in his own bed, realizing it was a dream. He wanted to run to Mabel and fall into her loving arms. He wanted the support and love from his Grunkles and even talk to his friends just to make sure he wasn’t going crazy.

In general, he just wanted to go home and forget this horrible experience. How much time had passed? It seemed much colder than he remembered, and it didn’t explain how he got to France. There was so much going on at home! Melody and Soos were returning from their trip across the states with the news that they were having a baby. Wendy would be returning from college soon. He hadn’t seen her since the summer of last year since she was studying abroad and then interning at some place in San Francisco.

The one fixing the dress in the front stepped back, setting the slippers on the ground and motioned for him to step into them. He complied, walking forward to slip his feet into them while the fairy behind him continued to make adjustments. The one who had placed the shoes stepped back towards the chest now sitting on a table, pulling out a golden chain. He gulped at the item attached to the cahin, hairs on his arms and neck rising. A triangle with a single eye in the middle of it stared at him in a taunting manner. The fairy holding it noticed his expression, looked back at the piece of jewelry and smiled in an unkind manner. She then stepped forward, arms raising as she placed the item around his head, the triangle piece laying on his forehead, barely concealing the birthmark on his forehead.

 _“Et consummate sunt,”_ the one standing in front of him stepped back in a single graceful manner, hands neatly folded against her stomach.

 _“Venite igitur,”_ the one who was behind him walked swiftly to the door, opening it and motioning for him to follow. _“Sequere nos, Domine puer_

He followed them, unsure of what else he could do. He didn’t know the palace at all, though he had read about it in books. He’d never journeyed to France before and couldn’t speak French at all. It then hit him as he followed the two down a long hallway that there were no other humans in this place. Where were the tour guides? The tourists?  Where was the staff and security guards? The sick feeling returned and for a moment, he thought he might get sick. What did Bill do? What did he do to all these innocent people?

The dim lit hallways eventually gave way to a long hallway with marble brown flooring. Crystal chandeliers hung against a beautifully painted ceiling showing paintings that must have taken ages to complete. Windows stood on the left side and on the right; mirrors on every single inch of the right wall caught the sunlight and reflections of the imagery outside. The famous hall mirrors, the very hallway that Marie Antoinette herself walked down on her wedding day.

He didn’t know why thee realization hit him there, but it did. The dress, the mirrors, all of it made sense! He was getting married against his will! His “fiancé,” could only be the one thing he hated most in the world. Did Bill really kidnap him just so he could marry him? No, that couldn’t be. There had to be more going on. While Bill was sporadic, there was always something else going on. He was an enigma, hiding behind flattery and a dapper yet dark personality.

He could run, but where would that get him? He didn’t speak French, had no idea how to get out of here (if there even was a way out), and he was sure Bill had other demons and monsters here. Still, he had to get out of here. He had to escape or die trying.

As if they could hear his thoughts, the two fairies turned around and looked at him. The one the left motioned for the one on the right to do something and suddenly she was behind him. Not directly behind him, but close enough that he couldn’t escape.

Damnit!

He could jump through the window, but that could possibly be suicide. Plus Bill would probably find a way to bring him back. It seemed like something he’d do, though he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to put that to the test. Plus if he died, he would never see Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford or any of his friends again. He would never see Mabel again and the thought of never seeing her again made his heart tighten painfully.

The two fairies pushed two solid doors open, revealing a small chapel of sorts. The chapel of Louis the XV of France, exactly where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Despite the horrible situation, he couldn’t help but admire the amount of work put into the place. White and gold marble walls, with a massive golden centerpiece that stood behind an altar of similar white and gold. A circular portrait was painted on the ceiling and he could see the organ pipes stood many feet in the air above the gallery, paintings depicting scenes of Christ. But the figure that stood out the most to him was of King David, who was frozen on the alter plucking the strings of a harp. He instantly thought of Mabel and the time she tried to play harp for their parents one Hanukah, but ended up breaking every single string.

The look of wonder immediately dropped from his face, the aching sadness taking full force. However, the sadness quickly turned to anger and a bit of fear once he saw a figure standing in front of the alter. Bill Cipher smiled at him, wearing that stupid yellow suit of his. His golden eyes locked with his and he found he was unable to look away from that piercing gaze. It was then he noticed the other creatures in the room, leering at him and smirking. Well, the ones who had lips were smirking, but he could see the cruel intentions in their eyes. The two fairies closed the door behind him, shutting out any way of escape.

He was completely helpless and at Bill’s mercy.

And all of a sudden, Bill was at his side. His left arm was linked into the demon’s before realizing they had teleported. He felt a wave of nausea but it quickly wore off once he realized who he was standing in front of. Dressed in black robes that contrasted starkly with his deathly pale skin, The Beast only nodded to him in greeting. “Let us begin,” he announced, opening up some thick heavy book. “Everyone, please be quiet.”

For a moment, he almost wanted to laugh at the sight of The Beast holding the bible. However, quickly looking again, he noticed that it wasn’t the bible at all. Rather it was some worn, old book that was surprisingly well kept. Was it the demon bible or something like that? Or was it similar to the Oracle Bones, which he couldn’t really read, but when Wirt or his mother translated, were actually pretty fascinating.

The Beast began to speak, voice low and threatening despite the non-threatening look on his face. Bill was now facing him, his gloved hands gripping his tightly. Twice he tried to pull away, but the grip just kept tightening and despite the happy smile on Bill’s face, he could see the warning written plain as day. The Beast kept on talking, reciting something in a language he didn’t understand at all but the other creatures in the room seemed to. While the pale demon spoke, Bill looked to him with a leer that made him want to crawl under the alter. “You smell good, Pine Tree,” Bill murmured, but loud enough for him to hear. “I see those fairies remember tradition.”

“Tradition?”

“It’s only custom for the bride to appeal to his or her groom,” Bill all but purred to him. “And I like the smell of citrus, you know.”

No, he didn’t know. He never wanted to know. He wanted to get away from this crazed lunatic and go home. He didn’t ask to be here; he didn’t ask for any of this.

“Give me your hands.”

He hadn’t realized The Beast was speaking to him until the demon cleared his throat, looking at him with those hauntingly beautiful eyes. Numbly, he gave the tall demon his hands and almost flinched away at the sharp steel blade that was in the shadow demon’s right hand. The Beast ignored his look of discomfort and pressed the blade down on his palm. He hissed in pain, watching as a cut appeared on his skin, tainting it a bright red. Bill licked his lips slightly, removing the gloves from his own hands and offered the appendages to The Beast. The taller demon did the same thing he’d just done to him and Bill didn’t make a single sound, though he swore he could hear a pleasured gasp leave his body. He could see the blood on Bill’s hands and felt his eyes go wide. He had thought since the demon was made up of pure energy, he wouldn’t have blood at all, but that wasn’t the case at all. Though the cut wasn’t too deep, he could see something gold and shiny lying on his light bronzed skin. Bill’s blood was gold; just like his triangle form.

“As witness to this bonding ceremony, I will be the one to witness the bonding of Bill Cipher and Mason Delphos Pines, who will forever be bonded until the very end. With this sacred act, these two are bound for eternity.”

The Beast then took a golden and black sash and pressed their hands together, allowing the blood on both their hands to mix as he tied it around. The birthmark on his forehead burned, hotter than it ever had before in his life. This felt wrong and the expression on Bill’s face was not making matters helpful. It wasn’t just the smile on his face that made things worse; it was the fact that he felt unclean. Dirty, as if something had crawled inside him and died and he could just feel it rotting away. The best way he could sum up what he was feeling was as if his soul had been touched by something evil and now it was tainted; ruined. He didn’t want this…he didn’t want to get married, least of all to Bill Cipher.

Despite his best efforts, a few tears managed to slip down his face and onto his chin. The dawning of the situation had fully hit and though he hated feeling this weak, the fact remained that he was helpless and completely at this demon’s mercy.

Oh wait his “husband’s” mercy.

The sash was removed from their hands and Bill reached for something resting on the altar. Two matching golden rings with an all seeing eye stared up at him. The rest of the band was encrusted with tiny diamonds, glimmering eerily in the dimming light of the chapel. It wasn’t a very long ceremony, but to Dipper it felt like eternity. Bill pulled him flush against him, dipping him down for a kiss that he did not return. Instead, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the cheering that came from the creatures that were standing nearby to witness the occasion. He could recognize Bill’s friends even with his eyes closed; the sounds of their laughter had never truly left his mind.

“You’re all mine now, Pine Tree,” Bill purred at him, letting him up from their kiss and wrapping a long arm around his waist. The other creatures kept cheering, making quite a deal of excitement. The Beast kept a relatively calm look, though he clapped his slim pale hands politely. With his arm still wrapped around his waist, Bill led the two of them out the door, followed by the crowd that had watched the ceremony. “I’ve been waiting so long for this moment. An eternity, though you’re little mind wouldn’t be able to comprehend that.”

Despite looking ridiculous in the dress, he glared angrily at Bill. Furry was now replacing the sadness and despair, scorching throughout his body like fire. He would never surrender to this demon; he’d find a way out no matter what it took. “I’m not yours,” he kept his voice calm and steady, hoping this would strike a nerve in Bill. “I will never be yours.”

“You really want to make that bet?” the playfulness was gone from his tone, but he still kept the smile that would put every human conqueror to shame. “The bond begs to differ. You’ll never escape me, Pine Tree; you _belong_ to me!”

~

Dipper Pines looked absolutely miserable.

Not that he actually cared about the child, but it was not something he failed to notice. He looked tired, worn out from the bonding ceremony and from all the dancing his “husband”, for all intents and purposes, was making him do. The ballroom was lit up with many lights, illuminating the whole room inside and out. Demons danced with other demons and creatures alike; not caring about the misery of the human boy nearby. The boy was still in that wedding dress though his face was turning a bright shade of pink due to all the dancing and emotional draining. It was probably now hitting him that he would never return home to his precious family.

Very soon he would do the same to his Lover boy, but that would have to wait. He wanted to savor the moment, let the boy realize his true origins and then shatter his hopes of defeating him. Once all the items were gathered and the wishes asked, he would swoop in and take him away from that stupid family of his. Then Wirt would be truly his and nothing could be done to stop him at that point. Victory would be his and hopefully the boy would know it.

With those thoughts on his mind, he continued to watch the child. They were doing some sort of tango, though it was pretty obvious Dipper had no idea how to dance in such a refined and passionate manner. While he much preferred waltzes and slower dances, the tango did match Bill’s dapper and energized personality. Bill seemed to be having fun watching his bonded partner fail at dancing and while some might think he would get bored at watching Dipper lose energy, he didn’t. He just continued to dance with him into the night, sneaking in dominant and possessive kisses and whispers that made Dipper’s eyes flash in alarm.

“You don’t look like you’re having any fun.”

He didn’t even need to turn around to know who was talking to him; he knew very well who it was. A figure much shorter than himself appeared at his side, a dark cloak covering their body so to conceal their appearance for some reason. Very rarely could he look at their face, for the shadowy darkness of the hood and their hair color hid most of their appearance away. “She Who Watches,” he greeted politely, giving a curt nod. “I don’t believe you were invited to this event.”

“Poor thing,” the girl in the hood commented towards Dipper and he frowned at the sympathy and sadness in her tone. “It’s not going to get any easier.”

No one was quite sure on what she was or who she was, for that matter. She just appeared one day, saying she had abilities to see into the future and had learned time travel from Chronos himself. Her identity was a mystery, one that still slightly bothered him to this very day. She always sought him out, like he was her special target or something along those lines. To further deepen his frown, he couldn’t squish down the feeling that he knew her. Yet, he had never seen her before, or that was the case until a long time ago when she appeared to everyone. She wasn’t a demon that he knew for certain, but she didn’t fit the description of any other creature.

She Who Watches. No one was even certain that that was her real name. More than likely it wasn’t, but he didn’t like to dwell on pointless things. She was of no threat to him, so he didn’t think much of her other than company.

“You’re still after Wirt, aren’t you?”

For some reason, she didn’t look too happy about this and through a small glimpse in her hood, he could see her lips purse together in a tight frown. All he did was sigh in exasperation, looking back towards Bill and his companion. “You already know the answer to that question.”

“Ah, true,” she simply stated, shaking her head. “And I do know you’re going to strike soon.”

He let a tiny smirk ghost over his thin pale lips. “Really?”

“Oh yes,” she gave a tiny sigh of her own and stepped closer to him. She didn’t even reach his shoulder; rather her head was in line with ribs. “But there is something you should know.”

“May I inquire as to what that is?”

“A prophecy.”

Well, that got his attention. He turned his body to face hers, towering over her small frame menacingly. “Do not go around saying nonsense like that,” his colorful, mysterious eyes gazed down at her coldly. “There are those here who would have you butchered. Or worse.”

He glanced briefly over at the punch bowl that had been set up by two of Bill’s friends, Hectorgan and Pyronica. Most of the refreshments and food, well, if Dipper knew it would probably make him faint. The punch was a tradition that dated centuries old. Whenever a bonding took place, babies’ blood was used as a beverage. Since there were none in the area at the moment, they had to use the tourists and people who kept the palace in shape.

He supposed it was merciful of them to kill them now. They would not have to endure what was coming for the rest of the living world.

“It came to me not too long ago,” the girl beside him continued, staring straight ahead of him at the couple dancing on the floor. “You may want to take it into consideration.”

“If you insist.”

_“Two worlds will come together,”_

_“Two hearts will beat as one,”_

_“Light and Dark will meet at opposite ends,”_

_“The signs Gemini and Capricorn will rise,”_

_“And only one and one alone,”_

_“Will survive the battle and claim the world”_

As she had been speaking, he had caught a glimpse of her eyes flashing, the pupils catching the color of the light. A dark gray, a shade he knew he had seen before. When she was done speaking, he stared at her for a little longer before a cruel laugh burst from his lips. “Nonsense,” he scoffed, brushing her off as though she were an annoying bug. “Pure utter nonsense.”

“I wouldn’t take it so light-“

“Prophecies have been thrown around since some of these demons here were in their twilight years,” he interrupted her briskly, leaving no room for her to argue. “Most of them never turn out to be true; so what makes this one real?”

“I’m telling you to be aware,” she sighed again and stepped back. “I must go now. I have other things that need to be taken care of.”

Then she was gone faster than he could blink. Where she had gone, he had no idea but he scoffed once more. It was true, prophecies were made up all the time; tossed down to the humans who listened to that nonsense like it was nourishment of some kind. As if it gave them a purpose in their meaningless lives. He couldn’t count how many times he’d seen the humans become arrogant and big headed over some “prophecy” that had been bestowed upon them. Half the time, it ended getting them killed.

Yet, something nagged at him. She didn’t seem the type that would throw things around for the fun of it; unlike some of the creatures here. She could be lying, but that could be dealt with later. More important things were at hand and he wasn’t about to let some silly prophecy get in his way of claiming his Lover boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHH DIPPER!!!!!!!!!!! 
> 
> Okay, so I will explain in the next chapter why they're in France. I'm a huge Marie Antoinette nerd and from what I can tell from my books on her, she knew how to throw a party. I think Bill would appreciate that at least to some degree. And the palace of Versailles is beautiful. I wouldn't mind getting married there myself if at all possible. Probably not, but a girl can dream, can't she?
> 
> So the bonding scene I actually modeled off my story When dark met light. If you haven't checked it out, I encourage you to read it. (I know, I know, shameless self advertising XD)
> 
> I also needed to think of a good enough reason as to why Bill would want Dipper. I like the whole predestined thing; it adds an air of mystery to anything really. I needed something a bit more than the usual "Oh, I'm intrigued by you" or "Your cleverness impresses me, Pine Tree" sort of thing. Not trying to offend other authors or start an argument! I just needed something a little more solid than the whole "I want revenge" trope, you feelin' me? Though I don't think that trope is bad at all.
> 
> I also keep forgetting to mention I model my Bill off Life Writer's human Bill Cipher. You guys know now! Actually, during the whole reception scene I had a bunch of songs in my head. I'll send you a link down below:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57LWbGqRfoM  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBVvu6hrjJs  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHID8hMgWKc
> 
> Well, see you all next time! The next chapter shall be up sometime this week! Who knows, maybe even tomorrow?


	20. Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg's eight birthday party brings an unwanted visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments! This chapter might be a bit puzzling, but that's The Beast for ya.

_He kissed you on the lips and opened your eyes_

_You had to catch your breath got such a surprise_

_And you always forgot how it feels to live in his lies_

_He pulled you closer said he'll never let go_

_You couldn't trust him but you never said no_

_In that moment he made you forget how it feels when he's gone_

_~Daddy by Emeli Sande~_

**(November 8, Versailles, France)**

“Let me go!”

The halls of Versailles were unusually quiet, despite the wind howling outside and the snowflakes hitting the windows with a soft thump.  He struggled against the grip on his wrist, digging his heels into the floor in an effort to stop Bill. The golden demon only ignored this and the grip on his wrist only tightened. The heels he was wearing weren’t helping either and Bill seemed a lot stronger than he remembered.

The party had ended a little while ago, shortly after midnight and now Bill was dragging him away back to his room for their “honey moon”, or so the demon called it. This was what he feared all night and the leer on Bill’s face was not helping matters at all. It didn’t take a genius like his Grunkle Ford to figure out what was going to happen. He frowned even harder, gritting his teeth in determination. He wasn’t going down without a fight; Bill would not have him so easily.

“Let me go!” he growled again, using his other to try and pry at Bill’s grip. “Let me go, Bill!”

“No can do, Pine Tree,” Bill clicked his tongue, shaking his head slightly with a little cat-like smirk growing. “I’ve been waiting an eternity for this moment. You’re all mine now.”

“I don’t want you!”

“Maybe not now, but things change, Pine Tree,” Bill then stopped, letting go of his wrist momentarily and snapped his gloved fingers. “Things change.”

Glowing electric blue hand cuffs were on his wrist that connected to a chain leash now in Bill’s hands. Shit. Bill hummed quite loudly through the halls, dragging him behind him as he sputtered curses and fought against him in a vain attempt at freedom.

The door to his room opened by Bill’s magic and he found himself practically thrown onto Marie Antoinette’s bed in a swift manner. The chain clunked against the frame of the bed, a piece of the gold chipping off due to the impact and force Bill used. He blanched, glaring at the demon in anger. It appeared the demon had no respect for historical items, though that was not surprising.

Bill’s leer suddenly turned into a smirk, eye gleaming mischievously. “You’re right Pine Tree; I don’t care about human monuments or things that belonged to you deceased one dimensional flesh sticks.”

His eyes widened, mind racing a mile a minute. Did Bill just read his mind? Was that even possible? When was he able to do that? Bill only smiled, looking like he was just going to give him a light scolding in an endearing manner. Or like how one looks at their pet when they did something silly. “One of the perks of bonding, I have access to all your thoughts,” when he opened his mouth to respond to this, Bill only laughed. “Silly Pine Tree, I can read your thoughts because I am a being of pure energy. Now that we’re connected, I can read you like a book.”

He stared at the demon in a defiant way, his eyes never leaving Bill’s. “So that means I can read yours?”

“Not quite,” Bill only placed his hands on his hips, one eye eying the chain that lay carelessly on the bed. “You’re not a demon, or any other creature for that matter. You’re a mortal flesh stick who has no magical abilities. I mean, if you were a witch then it would be a different story, but it’s not often that male witches are born. So no, you can’t read my mind. However,” he trailed off, that sly grin coming back. “I don’t think you need to be able to read my mind to know what I’m thinking.”

In an instant he found himself pressed up against the head board, with Bill placing a knee in between his thighs and hands pressing firmly down on his shoulders. He felt paralyzed by fear, heart beating so loudly as Bill traced his fingers down the front of his dress. “You have no idea,” the demon murmured, moving his head to his neck. He let a little shiver course through his body as a pair of lips traced over his jugular. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to be born, Pine Tree.”

“H…huh? What are you talking about?” he tried to let his voice crack, even as warm breath tickled his ear as Bill kept moving.

“We were destined to be together, Dipper,” he didn’t like the use of his name on Bill’s lips, it didn’t sound right. The way he said it made it sound dirty. “You think I just chose you for no reason at all? Come on Pine Tree, I think you know me better than that.”

No, he definitely didn’t think this was random. Even if Bill could be random at times, there was always an underlying darker tone. Always. “Is this out of revenge?” he had to ask; it was the last thing he could think of. “That we stopped Weirdmaggedon and ruined your plans?”

Bill just laughed, moving his head up to peer down at his eyes. “Now why would I care about that? What we’ve got planned is so much bigger than Weirdmaggedon,” the way Bill looked at him made every single hope of his die; any of hope of freedom and rescue. “But you’re going to be by my side, spared of the things we have planned for the human race.”

“No!”

“Oh yes,” Bill kissed him quickly and then snapped his fingers once more. The dress disappeared, leaving him only in his underwear and handcuffs. The beating of his heart had become painful, anxiety rising at the knowledge of what was to come. “And you want to know why?”

“No.”

“Because you were made in my image,” Bill pushed his brown bangs back, revealing the birthmark on his forehead. “I created that symbol and sent it out into the stream of time. I would not know who or what would have. The creature that possessed it would be my soul mate; forever belonging to me. Little did I know it would be you, Pine Tree. Least of all a mortal.”

He couldn’t stop the noise that burst through his lips. It sounded broken, mixed between a sob and a laugh. “That…that’s ridiculous!” he continued to laugh, oblivious to the obvious frown on Bill’s face. “Pure nonsense! If that were true, why did you try to kill me all those years ago?”

“I didn’t know it was you until you showed the sign to me,” Bill sounded cold, clearly annoyed by his reaction. “But it doesn’t matter. I have you and we’re going to be together forever.”

He stopped the laughing, an uncomfortable sound replacing it as Bill attacked his neck aggressively. He let out a sharp cry of pain as teeth sunk into his neck. Would he have a similar kind of hickey that Wirt had? “Stop!” he pleaded, arms now being pushed above his head. “Please, you don’t have to do this!”

“Oh, but I do,” Bill looked at him once more, all signs of amusement gone from his face. There was only one thing he was thinking of right now and Dipper really wanted to pretend he didn’t know what it was. “I’ve been denied what is rightfully mine for too long. We’re going to have a good time, Pine Tree.”

“No! Let me go! I want to go home!”

“But kid,” Bill smiled again, the smile all too wide and full of teeth to be considered human. “You are home now.”

~

**(November 8, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“Try to look like you’re having fun, Wirt.”

His scowl only deepened, ignoring the little jab in the ribs he received from his mother’s elbows. As much as he loved Greg, and he did, he did not want to be here. He did not want to be at Hoo-Ha Owl’s Pizzamatronic Jamboree, even if it was for the kid’s birthday. Of course he wasn’t going to tell Greg that, but he had no idea how he was going to have fun at a place like this. Maybe he could play some skee-ball to pass the time, but that could get boring pretty quickly. He had outgrown places like these, although his mother pointed out that he didn’t like these kinds of places as a kid due to being afraid of animatronic animals.

He tried to tell her he had been a scared little kid back then, but one look at Will E. Badger made him rethink that. So naturally, he stayed far away from the creepy animatronic badger that seemed to be following him with its eyes.

“Ba!” Yin Wei pointed to the ball pit, where her older brother was playing with several of his classmates. “Ba!”

“Yup, that’s a ball,” he sighed, holding onto her as she stood in front of him. She’d had recently started standing on her own, his parents extremely excited by this and now came the part of helping her learn to walk. He helped, and had to admit that teaching her how to walk was a little fun. “You’re too young to go in there, though,” he told her, as if she knew what he was saying. “Maybe in a few years.”

She just continued to look at the ball pit, taking two steps towards it with him still holding onto her. “I don’t think so,” he sighed, leaning forward to pick her up and set her in his lap. “I don’t know what you were thinking, but you there is no way you can get in there.”

All she did was frown at him and her tiny hand reached out, grabbing his nose. “Ow,” he frowned back at her even though her grasp didn’t hurt at all. “Oh no, you’ve got me. Do I have to comply with your demands now?”

“Smile!”

The flash from a camera going off nearly blinded him and he glared at Dave, who was smiling at him sheepishly with the digital camera in his hands. “Sorry,” his step-father said cheekily, not sounding sorry at all. “What she’s doing is so cute that I couldn’t resist.”

“Here,” he handed the baby to him, standing up and pushing the baby into his arms. “You can have her now.”

“Fine, fine,” Dave sighed and put the camera down, holding onto his daughter carefully. He then looked at him apologetically. “Trust me; I know you don’t want to be here.”

“Really.”

“To be honest, I don’t either. That badger gives me the creeps,” he glanced distastefully at the thing and sighed. “But this is for Greg; it is his birthday after all.”

“I know,” he smiled softly, watching as Greg threw a whole bunch of colorful balls into the air. “I’m glad he’s having fun, but there really is nothing for me to do here. There is an age restriction on half the stuff here.”

Dave nodded sympathetically, Yin Wei now resting her head on his shoulder. He noticed she hadn’t taken her dark eyes off him, that always calm look in her eyes shining in the light. He supposed there wasn’t much for her to do here either, though she wouldn’t remember this day. Hard to believe in three months she would be a year old. It was also hard to believe all the things that had happened during the year as well.

He felt his mood shift from boredom to brooding. Dipper had been on his mind a lot; it had almost been a month since his kidnapping. Mabel hadn’t left the shack since then, holing up in her room without speaking to anyone. Not even to her Grunkles, who were monitoring her every single second of the day. The last time he’d seen her, she was curled up in one of her sweaters staring at an old looking scrap book that looked to be at least a few years old. She looked so void, so vacant. As if all the energy and life had left her body.

He felt partially to blame for this. Maybe if he hadn’t been so busy fighting that witch then he could have saved him. His mother had replied to this saying that it wasn’t his fault and that Bill was a different category of demon all together. He would not be defeated so easily and he had no idea how to get to mindscape without letting the demon into his mind.

He looked over back at Greg, who was now holding the hand of one of his classmates. He was pulling her over to the skee-ball game, pointing excitedly towards it. She was around his height, with long ash brown hair and wide set blue eyes. She had al little heart shaped face with pale pink skin, accompanied by long lashes that fluttered in astonishment while Greg managed to score a perfect hundred every time he rolled the ball.

“That’s Katia Petrova,” Dave commented, giving a smile that hinted at something mischievous. “The one he never stops talking about.”

His step-father then moved away, Yin Wei still staring at him with those calm eyes. She pulled at her father’s hair, earning an ow from Dave and a few giggles from Greg and some of his newly made friends. It hadn’t taken long for the class to instantly like him, or his teachers for that matter. He was lucky to be born with such a charismatic personality that could win over even the grumpiest of teachers. Including the grumpy second grade teacher he had last year.

Ah, that made sense. Despite his mind being preoccupied with other things (darker things, if he were to be honest), Greg had remained a constant source of lighthearted innocence in the face of all the evil in the world. Only a few weeks ago he had befriended one of the girls in his class, telling the entire family that she was a shy turtle that almost refused to come out of her shell.

A little smile formed on his lips as the girl clapped her hands in glee as two hundred tickets shot out of the skee-ball game. While Greg was not an arrogant person, he couldn’t help but notice the boastful grin on his brother’s face, standing tall as other children began to crowd around him. Even some of the employees looked impressed and awestruck, something he had to feel proud about. Greg would never stop impressing people no matter what he did.

Still, this happy moment could not last forever. The dark thought dawned on him, the blissful moment of peace morphing into something else. Eventually Greg’s birthday would be over and the dark mood that everyone seemed to have nowadays would return. He snorted at that. How foolish of him; the mood had never left. He watched as his mother and step-father showered Greg with attention and love. Their faces shone brightly, but he could see the worry and angst hiding behind those smiles. They were doing a good job keeping it at bay, but one could never completely forget their troubles and sorrows.

“When life goes well, it is a sudden gift,” he found himself muttering to himself as he stepped away from the chair he’d previously been sitting in, opting to lean against one of the arcade games. No one seemed to notice him, but he did not mind. His parents were too busy looking after the younger children, making sure everyone was doing alright and no one was getting into arguments. He didn’t need attention right now nor did he feel like getting any either. He murmured the last part almost wistfully, a twinge of bitterness stirring in his chest. “It cannot last forever.”

“What a dreary little quote you have there.”

Oh for the love of…

He spun around quickly, expecting to see The Beast towering over him, but all he got were a pair of glittering multicolored eyes. The rest of The Beast was hidden in the darkness of the back room area of the pizza place, where the older games that children didn’t really play with anymore were stored. The area was dimly lit, vacant enough for a demon to hide in without being noticed. If anything, The Beast seemed to be wanting him to venture away from the party, away from the protection of his family. He glared back at the demon, ready to call out for help but stopped.

There was no way he was going to put all these kids in danger. Besides Greg, they knew nothing of the dangers that were lurking around in the woods. According to the Pines’ family, these kids had little memory of demons and Weirdmaggedon that they mostly forgot about it. If he were to channel those memories back…he shook his head at the very thought. He didn’t want to know the horrors they had faced; the things they’d witnessed. And he wasn’t about to be the reason that a whole bunch of children needed therapy all of a sudden.

He followed The Beast into the darkness, watching as those eyes slunk farther and farther in. He could barely hear the sounds of the party now, only the muffled voices and laughter could be heard if he strained his ear hard enough. The shadow-like form of the demon disappeared, showing more of a human-like form now. He stood just at the demon’s collarbone, a big improvement from last summer. Not to mention all the training he’d been receiving was finally starting to pay off. While he had never been athletic, his muscles had become leaner and more firm over the course of the last few months and on his stomach, he could feel the abs beginning to develop.

Whether or not he was ready to fight the demon was a completely different story all together.

“You look absolutely inattentive,” The Beast had led him all the way into the back of the establishment, which seemed more like a storage unit. It was lit very brightly, but he could see The Beast as plain as day. He hadn’t changed at all, and he smiled down at him as if he were talking to an old friend. “Perhaps I could alleviate that?”

“By going away?” all he got was a smirk and a slight chuckle, but he figured it was worth asking even if it was a moot point.

“And why would I want to do that?” The Beast asked, placing a cold hand on his shoulder. He glared fiercely at the creature and shrugged it off. The demon only clicked his tongue at that, but otherwise didn’t touch him again. “I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t been able to give you a proper visit. How have you been, Walter?”

“Oh, you mean besides my friend getting kidnapped, my other friend losing vision in her right eye and my other friend learning she’s a witch? Oh, I’m just peachy; real peachy,” he spat that last part out bitterly, tempted to spit on the demon out of pure spite. He was sure Greg would cheer him on, but the cautious side of him warned him about attracting attention. Or making The Beast angry. “Where is Dipper? What have you done with him?”

“Nothing you’d be interested in,” The Beast lied, lips curling into a cruel smile at the very obvious fact that he was not being honest. “Truly, I do not think you’d be interested.”

“Tell me!”

The Beast simply ignored that last request, brushing the information off as though it were mere gossip that wasn’t worth talking about. “You’ve changed, Lover Boy,” the demon purred, looking at his body in approval. “You’re much taller than the last time I saw you,” a hand trailed down his upper arm, resting lightly on his forearm. “And your physique has changed.”

“Don’t touch me,” he attempted to pull away, the light touch had changed and a pale hand gripped his arm almost painfully. He hissed at the contact, pulling away the best he could without making too much ruckus. The Beast only sighed, shaking his head disapprovingly at this behavior, but that smile still played on his lips. He lifted his right fist up, managing to get a good swipe in before his right wrist was grabbed and placed above his head. “Let me go!”

“You’re aim has improved,” The Beast commented casually, the bruise now forming on his cheek reversing and disappearing all together. “But it will take more than willpower to defeat me.”

“Let go! You let me go right now or I’ll scream-“

“And do what? Alert every single being in this establishment that there is a demon in the area? My, I wonder what those children would think. I’m sure some of them remember being turned into stone and added to a certain throne of human agony. And I’m sure that some of them would just love to remember watching their parents being turned to stone as well,” The Beast chuckled, the sound sending shivers coursing through his body. “So go ahead, scream if you would like. It makes no difference to me.”

He begrudgingly decided not to scream, but that didn’t stop him from trying to kick the demon. The Beast only sighed at this behavior, rolling his eyes and stepping forwards. He found himself backed up into a wall with that ice cold grip still on him and those eyes never leaving his. “Why are you doing this?” he couldn’t help but ask, even if he did get the same reply every time. “Why here? Why now?”

At first, The Beast did not answer. He merely studied him like a complex math equation, a puzzle that he was having difficulty figuring out. “We have a history together, your family and I do,” he eventually spoke, voice calm and thoughtful as he stepped in closer. “Do you know, Walter, what it is like to have control of something, someone, and then have them slip away from your grasp?”

“…No?”

“Well,” The Beast continued on, breath dangerously close to his ear. “I suppose I could put it in standards that you would understand. Have you ever loved someone and then watched them disappear from your grip? Disappear out of your life?”

Instantly, the image of his father popped up. Ever since the incident in August, he hadn’t seen or heard from the man. Every now and then his mother would get phone calls from him, but that was it. He wasn’t even sure if his father had any recollection of what happened between them. He gulped, the very memory causing his stomach to tighten painfully. The Beast seemed pleased by this reaction, cheek nuzzling his in a twisted form of affection. “You see, you do understand. We are not so different, you and I.”

“What?” his eyes widened, staring accusingly at the monster that had him pinned defenselessly against the wall. “ _We_ aren’t anything alike! I don’t consume the souls of lost children to survive! I don’t go around terrorizing other teenage boys out of some twisted form of love!”

“You’re only looking at the technical things,” The Beast chuckled, the sound vibrating through his body. “You have to dig a little deeper than that, Young Lover.”

“I am not your Young Lover!”

“Not yet, no,” The Beast shook his head, the same creepy smile on his face. “But that will change very soon. One day, you’ll forget about your meaningless existence here with this family. Soon, I will be your entire world. The very thing you depend upon. I will be our anything and everything.”

“Don’t deny it,” the hand that had been holding  his left arm let go, expert fingers dancing down his chest, ghosting over the lean muscles of his stomach. Soft kisses were placed along his cheek as they trailed down to his neck, lips pressing almost lovingly against the bruise there. “You want me.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Don’t lie to yourself; it’s pathetic to listen to,” the demon’s tone had hardened, eyes staring at him almost in pity. “Not only do you belong to me, but you belong _with_ me. We were made to be together.”

Oh no. No, no, no. “What is this?” he asked rudely, trying to calm his racing heart and the blush that crept into his face. “Are you telling me we’re soul mates or something?”

“Of course not,” The Beast actually sounded offended, as if the question was so insulting to his intelligence. “Your family, despite how aggravating they are towards me, have never once been able to defeat me. And you want to know why that is?”

“I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“Because your family is drawn towards me. Your great-grandmother was never able to defeat me because of this. Your blood sings for me, begs for me. I always told her that her family would be her undoing. That one day, I would break free and take what is rightfully mine,” lips brushed against his. “If she wasn’t the right one, then I would wait. Eons if I had to for the right Liang to come along. I’m sure it does not take a genius like Stanford Pines to figure out who that is.”

He felt like throwing up, the image of his grandmother with The Beast was so revolting; so unholy that it took every fiber of his being not to retch on the floor. “Me,” he turned his head away, though that only revealed more his flesh towards the demon. “But…this doesn’t make sense.”

“Life doesn’t make sense,” The Beast countered. “But I’m sure you feel it. The desire to be with me; for me to touch you and possess you. It’s time for you to stop lying to yourself about your true nature. You _miss_ being the hero to your story. You _miss_ the attention and praise you go from the tavern people. You _miss_ the danger, the thrill of not having control,” he felt the lips curl against his cheek as the demon pressed close to his ear. “You _miss_ The Unknown. And I’ll say it before you go denying it, but you _missed_ me.”

He pushed the demon back with a force he did not have a year ago. His hands reached out before he could stop them, grabbing onto the demon’s shoulders and crashed his lips against the old creature’s. He moaned into the kiss, fingers running through The Beast’s dark sandy colored hair and pulling hard on the locks. It felt wrong, but right at the same time. Like being with him was both heavenly and sinful. He wanted to stop; wanted to shove the demon away and be rid of him for good, but the other part of refused. He would have blamed it all on teenage hormones, but something in him stirred something ancient and powerful.

The call was like a song he’d heard in fragments, but never once left his mind. The part of him that sang for The Beast; the part of him he’d been suppressing for so long had been let loose. The Beast only pressed him up against the wall harder, tongue sweeping past his lips and into his mouth. It was a messy kiss, nothing romantic or loving like in the movies. It was all teeth and pent up need, disgusting yet passionate at the same time.

He had to get control of himself; he couldn’t surrender himself to this demon! He had to retain the part of him that called for the demon; the part he had to burry away forever if at all possible. He closed his eyes, thinking o his father and mother. Of Dave and Yin Wei; their innocent and loving faces never leaving his.

He could see Greg’s face, so pale and cold as the Edelwood branches engulfed him. The Beast would have killed him without a second thought! This demon was going to kill his whole family out of spite; out of some cold need for revenge. He shoved the demon back, wiping his lips furiously. “Get…get back!” he choked out, face red as the cap he’d worn or Halloween a year ago. “Don’t touch me!”

“I believe it was you who initiated it,” The Beast sighed, but didn’t look too surprised. “But I won’t expect you to give yourself to me right away. After all, stubbornness runs in your family was well.”

“I will never love you,” as he said this, a small flicker of doubt went off in his mind. After what just happened, how was he to be sure nothing like this would happen again?

“But you’ve already become aware of those feelings. You can’t ignore them now. Though, I do have to admit it would be most amusing if you tried. Till next time, Lover boy. Oh, and do tell Gregory happy birthday.”

Then he was gone, melting into the shadows. Wirt let out a giant sigh, slumping down against the wall and cradling his head in his hands. Idiot! How could he let something like this happen! This was the creature that tried to kill him and Greg! The same creature that had been plaguing their family for years. He should feel disgusted with himself, and to a great degree he did, but there was some odd part in him that felt oddly satisfied.

The Beast was right about one thing. He desired the creature. He couldn’t explain why, or how, but he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, you guys know what to do! Comment, comment, comment! 
> 
> Wirt, Wirt, Wirt, what is wrong with you? Well, at least he knows something is wrong with him. I wonder what went down between Wu and The Beast. Ah, oh well. We will discover that soon enough ;)


	21. Best of me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas in Gravity Falls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter isn't very long! I can tell you right now the next one isn't going to be very long either, but the ones definitely will. We'll be heading back into The Unknown soon! School for me starts in about two weeks :( but I am excited to be going back. My birthday is also in two weeks! August 23 and I'll be twenty! 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! There is a lot of foreshadowing and I apologize for that :D
> 
> Also, BIG FREAKING SHOUT OUT TO Mincci for doing fan art for this story! It was the wedding scene from chapter nine and you can view it here: http://celestabell.deviantart.com/art/The-Law-of-Gravity-BillDip-626644995

_But I know another way to show_

_Everything I can be for You_

_You're all that I'll ever need_

_I'll give you the Best of Me_

_~Best of Me by The Letter Black~_

**(December 23, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

The Hand witch had once been considered a great beauty.

She frowned at her reflection in the mirror, eyeing her long white hair with a small pout. A long time ago it had been beautiful and luscious, like spun golden threads or sunlight. Her skin had been wart free and definitely not bumpy and she had beautiful green eyes that rivaled the color of any elf. Alas, that had been over nine hundred years ago and what a lonely nine hundred years it had been. None of the other witches spoke to her, shunning her and never visiting her up on her mountain. Rude little witches, she had decided, primping her long white hair as she gazed upon her old self. She was older than most; holding the secret to immortality that only the strongest and most powerful witches got to know.

She didn’t stop the bitter smile that crept upon her old withered lips. While she may have been immortal, none of the beauty spells she had performed ever worked. “Curse that Adelaide,” she spat, spit shooting out and smacking the mirror with a light plink. “Curse her for making me this old and ugly!”

Of course, she couldn’t curse someone who was already dead. The bitter smile turned into a nasty smirk as she thought of her former friend and fellow student. It was only fitting that Adelaide died due to noxious fumes. It was almost like karma had finally slapped her in the face after all the toxic things she’d done to other people and her fellow witches.

She had even dragged her sister and adopted niece into the afterlife with her! While she and Whispers were not friends, she certainly bore no ill will towards the pale and rather bug eyed looking woman. Whispers would have to be avenged as well as Lorna, but Adelaide’s death was satisfying. A pity she didn’t get to exact her revenge, but justice had been served.

The Hand witch didn’t like being near other witches; too much drama and back stabbing for her like. Back in her day, witches viewed each other with a strong sense of kinsman ship, a sense of duty and loyalty. Nowadays they would even murder their own animal companion just for a better one. She partially blamed the dark ages for this (and those had been dark days indeed), but she also had a feeling Salome had a hand in this.

If there was anyone other than Adelaide she despised, it was her revolting daughter, Salome. The little she-devil was so full of herself; twisting the original goals and ideas of the dark witches. The Coven of the dark lantern had been formed sometime around the fifteen hundreds, when Adelaide and Whispers first came into contact with The Beast while communicating with the souls stuck in limbo. They had almost successfully revived the demon, but those ancient runes were powerful. More powerful than anything she’d ever seen before in her life. It was rather foolish of Adelaide to try and break the runes; whoever had created them must have been someone strong, but as she had studied before, the runes were not created by a witch.

What they were created by, she hadn’t the faintest idea, but didn’t dwell on things she deemed unimportant. She was mainly keeping a low profile, seeing as how many creatures were gathering and she knew The Morrigan was out lurking somewhere. She shivered, even though the cave was cold, the thought of what the Mother of demons could do to her was even more chilling.  

She pulled back her sleeve, looking at the moon crescents that had been embedded into her arm when she was claimed. A very long time ago, now that she thought about it and sighed. Due to Salome’s efforts, most believed that dark witches were evil and brought misery to the non-magical humans. And while their powers were certainly a lot darker from the light witches, she could say for certain not all of them were evil. She did not consider herself evil. She merely punished the rude and greedy; that’s all. She did not needlessly harm humans or cause death like Salome. She kept to herself and if someone needed her help, she would assist if she deemed it a valuable use of her time and powers.

“I like what you’ve done with the place, Miranda.”

Well, she wasn’t expecting company today; much less a visit from a friend. Her boyfriend was out getting grocery supplies for the cave and mentally made a note to herself about paying Mabel Pines a visit. She turned around, looking up at the hooded figure with a smile. “Hello to you too,” she nodded, motioning for the girl to follow her. “Come in, come in, would you care for some tea?”

“Oh no, I’ll have to decline the offer this time,” the girl held up a pale hand, which looked almost translucent in the cave. “I came here to ask you a favor, old friend.”

“A favor?” she tilted her head, the visitor stepping in her cave even further and walking silently towards one of the white chairs. She headed towards one as well, sitting down right across from her guest. “Ask away, child.”

“There is a young witch in Gravity Falls,” the visitor spoke carefully, hands folded neatly in her lap. She couldn’t see her face very well; no one could for all she knew but never asked why the girl wanted her identity to be concealed. Well, it was the girl’s business, not hers, but who didn’t like a little mysteriousness every now and then. “Her name is Anneliese Poolcheck, Adelaide’s granddaughter.”

She stared at the visitor, breath hitching in her throat. “Adelaide has a granddaughter?” she briefly wondered why she didn’t know this, though she supposed it made sense since Salome never seemed to take interest in children. At least, not that she knew of. It had been a long time since she had associated herself with the Coven of the Dark Lantern. “Well, that’s interesting.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” the visitor pressed on, a hint of urgency and desperation in her light soprano voice. “But this girl isn’t like her mother. She’s a friend of Wirt’s and has no allegiance towards the Coven of the Dark Lantern. I want to ask of you, as a friend, if you would take the girl as your apprentice.”

“Wouldn’t that be Salome’s job?”

“Salome has taken no steps in taking the girl under her wing; she cares little for her. She is a dark witch, just like you.”

She made a face at the visitor. “Then Salome must be pleased that her daughter was chosen by the moon and not the sun.”

“You told me yourself once,” the visitor continued, her voice even and calm despite the obvious tension rising. “Not everything in the dark is evil just as not everything in the light is good.”

She paused, trying to recall when she told the girl that. While it was interesting Salome’s daughter was a witch, the reminder that she was Adelaide’s granddaughter still stung like a hornet sting. She hated that woman and her daughter, but if what the visitor was saying and Anneliese was nothing like her mother and grandmother…well, perhaps there was hope for them after all. “I will consider it,” she eventually spoke, noting the visitor’s sigh of relief. “But I must ask why it is so important?”

“The Twin Blades of Levianta are in The Unknown,” the visitor began once more in a careful tone, pale hands now resting on the pine wood of the dining table. “The Vessel of Envy was put in Adelaide’s care before she ended up in The Unknown. They are there to this very day. They need to be reclaimed and resting in the right hands.”

“So Adelaide had them after all,” she laughed at this, though the visitor did not laugh with her. “And you want me to train Adelaide’s granddaughter, of all the young witches in the world! And you think I know some way into The Unknown?”

“I know you do,” the visitor sighed, shaking her covered head. “You know how to get into The Unknown without hurting yourself. You knew how, but never told Adelaide.”

“Oh alright, you got me there,” how the girl knew this was beyond her, but the last thing she needed was for the girl to tell the coven this. “So you want me to perform a Death Walk. Is that what you want, She Who Watches?”

She Who Watches merely stood up, pushing the chair in behind her as she moved away from the table. The cloak seemed to engulf her body, hiding her existence from the world and from prying eyes. “Consider my request, please?” the girl asked softly, voice half muffled from her cloak. “The Vessel of Envy needs to be recovered.”

Then she was gone before she could ask the girl another question. “Mysterious girl, that she is,” she grumbled, leaning her chin on her hand and looking at the place where the girl had once been. “I wonder, though, if she has the right idea.”

~

**(December 25, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“I think you look fantastic in that hat, Mr. President.”

“Ribbit.”

Christmas Day. One of the best times of the year, if he said so himself. Greg beamed at Jason Funderberker, who was now adorned in only the finest of clothes. A top hat that reminded him of Abraham Lincoln’s and a snappy bow tie that complimented the hat. A magician’s wand lay on the floor nearby, the frog apparently not wanting to use it. He supposed it was a little rude, considering his frog friend now had a whole new wardrobe. That was his Christmas present from his parents, who thought he would look adorable in clothes.

The frog winked at him and he laughed at this, reaching forward to pick the frog up and hug him close. “I love you, Jason Funderberker,” he felt the frog hug him back, warmth spreading through his chest. His parents didn’t believe that Jason was a special frog; adults were silly like that, but he and Wirt knew better. Speaking of said older brother, he stood up still holding his friend. “Let’s go get that big brother o’ mine!”

He threw open the door to his room and ran out, little feet padding lightly against the floor board. He peeked into his brother’s room, only to find it empty. Wirt’s room hardly ever changed; always staying neat unless he was stressed out or in a “teenage mood”. He was entirely sure what that was, but he heard his mother use it on more than one occasion.

Hurrying down the rickety old stairs, he made his way past the hall way and into the living room. His grin only widened as he found the person he was looking for. Wirt was fast asleep on the couch, legs dangling over the arm of the cream colored piece of furniture. Yin Wei was asleep on his chest, little fingers curling into his shirt as she breathed deeply, the two of them lost to the real world. He stepped over to poke his brother awake, but a voice soon stopped him.

“Let them sleep,” his mother had appeared in the archway, a Christmas apron wrapped around her body and her hair in a messy ponytail. “Come and help me with dinner.”

“Yes sir, Lady Mom!”

He followed her into their kitchen, which was filled with ingredients and food that was being left to cool. He licked his lips, tummy grumbling in hunger. The last thing he’d eaten that day were the pancakes his dad had made for breakfast. “Whatcha making?” he asked, peering over the counter edge to see what she was mixing in a bowl. “Are those-?”

“Scallion pancakes?” she grinned at him, nodding her head. “Yup. I know how much you and your brother love them. And since it’s Christmas, I figured it would be a nice thing to add to our dinner.”

He looked over to the potatoes sitting on the counter, steam still rising off them. “Can we have molasses with our potatoes?”

“I don’t see why not. Here, fold these napkins for me,” she continued smiling, dark eyes lighting up with an amused glimmer. He thought she looked better this way; it made her look less tired and sad. She seemed to be so sad lately, Wirt too, but he couldn’t figure out why. He had a feeling it had something to do with The Beast, but he hadn’t seen or heard from the demon tree in a while. Everyone seemed to be on pins and needles, which he thought was ridiculous. They would defeat the demons and get Dipper back, so why was everyone looking so worried and tired?

“Mom?” he looked up at her, pausing from his task of folding the bright red napkins. “Is Wirt going to be okay?”

She paused, hands stopping the stirring motion she’d previously been doing. She turned her head to him, eyes widened slightly at the abrupt question. “What do you mean?” she asked, sounding curious and a bit apprehensive.

“The Beast is a big old meany,” he frowned at the mention of the tree monster and his weird obsession with his older brother. “And he makes Wirt sad. I don’t like it when Wirt’s sad, Mom. He’s been so sad and scared, can’t you tell?”

“I know,” she placed a hand on his head, smoothing back his dark blonde hair. “I don’t like that demon either. He does not view our family in a kind light. But you know what I think?”

He blinked, looking up at her curiously. “What?”

She knelt down to his height, taking his right hand and pushing back the sleeve of his Christmas sweater. The tattoo stood out against his skin and the brightness of the kitchen, and though he could not explain it, he felt unusually sad just by looking at it. “I think that you’re a great brother to Wirt,” she said kindly, looking at the tattoo with a tired gaze. “And that you two have one of the greatest relationships two siblings could have.”

“Really?”

“Mhm,” she nodded, letting go of his wrist and pulling him into her arms. “And I love both of you so very much. Can you promise me one thing, Greg?”

He pulled back slightly, looking at her with wide eyes. “Of course, Mom!” he smiled at her, noticing her eyes light up once more. “I’ll do anything, anything for you, Dad, Yin Wei, and Wirt!”

“Promise me you two will always look after one another,” the amusement from her eyes faded slightly, a serious look now replacing it. “That when worst comes to worst, you will always stand together with your brother and sister; never leave their side.”

Why was she asking this? Didn’t she already know he’d do anything for Wirt? Anything to make sure his brother was safe and happy. Now that Yin Wei was around, he’d do the same for her as well. “I’ll always look after them!” he promised her, wrapping his arms around her neck to hug her tightly. “And I’ll take care of you and Dad, Mommy. “

“That’s my good boy,” she hugged him back once more, and then pulled him back so she could kiss his forehead. “And I’ll look after you too. You, Wirt, and Yin Wei. Our family looks after one another, alright? We will never let anything hurt the ones we love.”

“Can we look after Mabel and her family? Oh, and Annie,” he then paused, remembering overhearing what happened with Valentina and her parents. “And Valentina, too. Her parents don’t want her anymore for some silly reason.”

“Okay, we’ll look after them too,” she laughed slightly, ruffling his head and stood up, returning to the bowl on the counter. “You’re a good boy, Greg. I’m very proud of you.”

He reached across the counter, snagging one of the Santa cookies from the plate. “Thanks, Mom!” he grinned, feeling even more confident when she didn’t tell him to put it back. “You’re the best Mom in the world! And the prettiest!”

“Oh, you,” she laughed, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. “But don’t you let your future wife hear you say that.”

“Huh? Why?” then he thought of getting married and made a face. “Ew, yuck, girls have cooties, Mom!”

“They won’t always,” he thought he heard her mutter, but then a smirk crossed her features. “If we have cooties, why do you like talking with Annie and Valentina? And what about Katia?”

He bolted out of the kitchen, the echoes of her laughter following. Why did they always bring up Katia? She was a good friend of his! Anyone who liked frogs and imagination was alright by him. Yet every time he brought her up, his parents and even Wirt would smile. A smile that reminded him of when two friends shared a secret.

He bounced back into the living room, where his brother and sister were still asleep. He managed to squeeze himself onto the other side of the couch, making a face at his older brother who took up quite a lot of room. He looked down at his older brother who looked so peaceful right now. His mouth was slightly open and a soft snore could be heard from him, but Greg found he couldn’t bring himself to wake his sleeping brother.

Outside, snow lightly tapped against the window panes, a reminder that the world around them was constantly changing. He leaned back against the comfortable couch, Jason hopping into his lap. “I know one thing that’ll never change,” he murmured, quiet enough so that Wirt wouldn’t wake. “We will always have one another; nothing can ever keep us apart.”

He then fell asleep, with Jason on his lap and his awesome big brother next to him. Things would be okay, even if it took a while because they always conquered their foes. The Beast would be a thing of the past one day and his brother would be able to smile and not look so stressed out anymore. He would look after Wirt, and Wirt would look after him.

There was nothing else in the world he needed besides his older brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh Greg, why must you be so cute? Stupid Beast. Stupid Bill. Though I guess this is my fault for writing them this way >_>
> 
> But Comment! Ask me questions! Anything!


	22. Counting Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie meets a witch and Dipper suffers in silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this not very long chapter! Next one will be longer, I swear!

_Tik tock make me creep,_

_Never ending, Counting sheep,_

_Never get no sleep,_

_Tik tock make me creep,_

_Never ending, counting sheep,_

_Never get no sleep_

_~Counting Sheep by SAFIA~_

**(February 12, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

It had been a quiet day for her.

Tapping her pencil against the pad of paper on her desk, she observed the hastily scribbled notes she’d made for Wirt. Blue eyes scanned lazily across the page, checking for any mistakes that she knew her friend would go nuts about. The boy had been vacant from school today on account of his sister’s first birthday and the family wanted it to be a quiet affair. Not that he didn’t deserve a break from school, in fact, she was rather glad he didn’t go to school that day.

He looked troubled. More troubled than he did a few months ago. Right after Greg’s birthday, he seemed distant. Muttering to himself, as if trying to convince himself of something and refused to explain to anyone what was wrong. If anything, his face reminded her of someone who desperately wanted to run but knew that it was far too late to do that. Much like her own father, in a sense.

Speaking of said father, the last time she’d checked up on him was when he turned on the news to relax after his 4k run. The last time she’d seen him was when he had sat down on their battered old couch. With a sigh, she closed the notebook and pushed it back on the desk, removing herself from the desk chair. Walking quietly into the living room, she couldn’t stop the soft smile from growing on her lips. He was fast asleep, water bottle hanging loosely in his hand and head tilted back with a soft snore coming from his mouth. The TV was running softly in the back ground and with even quieter footsteps, she took the remote from the seat next to him and shut it off.

Her stomach rumbled and she made her way into the kitchen. Taking one of the apples from the bowl, she headed back to her room, munching loudly on the fruit.

“Well there you are. I was wondering if you were even here.”

The apple slipped from her hand, falling to the carpet flood with a soft thud. Her left leg lashed out, aiming towards where she heard the voice. All the training and exercise her father had put her through kicked in. She felt her leg kick something, but winced when she realized all she hit was the bed post.

“You’re strong; a lot stronger than you appear,” the voice returned, snickering at the expression of pain on her face. “You look a lot like your mother, Anneliese Poolcheck.”

The voice was all around her, yet there was no body in the room. She circled her bedroom, checking under her bed, venturing to the closet she barely used. “Who are you?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice down in fear of waking her father. “Show yourself!”

“Well, if you insist.”

With a poof of smoke, leading to a lot of coughing on her part, the figure appeared. She braced herself, ready for a goblin or weird stalker vampire, but instead it was a very short old woman. She was much shorter than herself, with long messy white hair and olive colored skin with a few bumpy warts on it. She dressed in a worn brown dress and it appeared she wasn’t wearing shoes. She had to make a face at hat, considering the woman was standing on her bed and who knows where her feet had been. “Who are you?” she demanded, fists still up close to her face in an offensive position. “What are you doing in my house?”

“Is that anyway for an apprentice to speak to their teacher?” the old woman seemed to yell at her, looking deeply offended for some reason.

She frowned at this, glaring even harder at the old woman. “Apprentice? What are you talking about? Who are you?”

“My name is Matilda, but most call me the Hand Witch. I am a dark witch, such as you,” she bristled at the reminder of the symbol that still stained her fair skin, dropping the stance to pull back her sleeve. The black moons were still there, sneering up at her with the reminder that she would never be free of her mother. The witch on her bed still stared at her, pulling up her own sleeve to show the same mark. “A friend of mine called in a favor asking me to teach you magic.”

“And who was that? My mother?”

“Your mother? Heavens no, I hate your mother! No offense, dearie,” the witch shook her head, but then paused to look at her sheepishly. “You’re not offended, are you?”

“Not at all,” she kept her voice flat, looking at the woman with lazy eyes. Despite appearing so small, there was something oddly threatening about her. Like she could hurt her with the snap of her boney fingers. Even so, the woman didn’t seem to have any intention of hurting her. After all, wouldn’t she have done it already? “How do you know my mother?”

The witch only laughed, jumping on her bed once and then laughed again with glee. “I’ve known your mother and your grandmother for centuries!”

Okay, she didn’t think her mother was that old, but that wasn’t the most important thing on her mind at the moment. “What is it that you want, exactly? To train me so I can join the coven my horrid mother is a part of?”

The witch narrowed her eyes, placing her boney hands on her hips. “Did you not just here me? Clean out your ears you silly girl! I just told you I can’t stand your mother and your grandmother and I go way back! She took away my beauty, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know.”                                                               

“Anyway,” the witch rolled her eyes, hopping off the bed and waddled on over to her. “An old friend of mine called in and asked if I would train you in magic. And no, before you ask again, your mother did not put me up to this. It’s been a long time since I took an apprentice, so I’m a little forgetful of the process, but I can assure you I’m one of the best.”

She observed the woman once more, moving around her so she could sit on her bed with her arms crossed. “What makes you think I want to learn magic? Magic has done nothing good for me; nothing good ever comes out of it.”

“That’s cause your mother is a power hungry monster,” the Hand Witch sighed, two hands crawling out of her hair and scratching bits of her white covered scalp. “It would not be a bad idea, dearie, to learn magic.”

“I don’t want to learn magic.”

“Do you know what could happen if you don’t’ learn magic?” when she didn’t respond, the woman continued, stepping closer ever so slightly. “You’ve gone what, three, four months with no training? You’re a late bloomer; it happens, but your magic will continue to grow and become more unstable. I can help you control it and even teach you what I know.”

She opened her mouth, ready to say no, but paused. Maybe, and she thought for a moment she was going crazy, it would be a good idea to learn magic. Not that she wanted to be a witch; magic had only brought heartache in her life. But the last thing she needed was to become unstable and find out what that entailed. What if she hurt Wirt? Or worse, Greg. She felt her stomach tighten painfully at the thought of something even worse happening to Valentina. She already felt so guilty about what happened to her eye, even though the brunette had assured her it wasn’t her fault.

She closed her mouth, continuing to stare at the witch before speaking. “What exactly would you want for this?”

“I don’t want anything, this is a favor for an old friend,” the witch cackled, holding her right hand out towards her. “So what do you say? I promise that it will be worth your while. Besides, what have you got to lose?”

Perhaps later she would regret this, but at the same time, she was not one to typically regret things. She took the witch’s hand, giving it a firm shake. “Alright, I’ll learn magic,” she sighed and let go of the woman’s hand. “So, what is the first thing I’m supposed to learn?”

“Oh, we’ll start with some of the basics; I’m sure you’ll learn them quickly. Your mother and grandmother are strong witches. Take that how you want it, but there is something I have to ask.”

“What?” she blinked, tucking a strand of blonde hair back behind her ear. “Is it do I have a magic wand?”

“No, don’t be crass,” the witch scolded, but she could see a twinkle of amusement in her dark brown eyes. “I was going to ask if you have ever heard of a Death Walk.”

~

**(Unknown destination, February 12)**

He wanted to die.

He hadn’t seen Bill for days, the demon not telling him where he was going or when he was coming back. He wasn’t entirely sure which was worse: the demon not telling him where he was going or when he would return or if he would have rather known when and where the demon had ventured off to. He had weighed out the pros and cons of each situation but found no comfort in either of them and only brought that stinging fear and loneliness back.

And it wasn’t as if he didn’t have anything to do. Wherever he was, it seemed specifically designed to keep him occupied and less agitated but it only made him feel more anxious. Even with all the books on physics, the supernatural and every single version of _Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons_ in mint condition. He was bored, which made him more anxious and had him sitting in a corner of the room in an attempt to hide from the rest of the world.

The worst part of it was, he could still feel Bill. Feel his presence everywhere, even on his body. He was always looking over his shoulder, waiting for the demon to appear and harass him even further. He shivered, touching his shoulder lightly. He could feel Bill’s hand on him even though he wasn’t here. No matter how hard he tried. How many times he’d showered and scrubbed his body with the variety of soaps he’d been left. He could get Bill off of him; couldn’t get the unclean feeling from his skin. He felt so dirt; so helpless and vulnerable.

“What would Mabel do?” he found himself asking quietly to no one in the room. The only time he’d seen another being was when another demon or fairy brought food for him. “Mabel wouldn’t let this happen to her.”

That wasn’t the right way of thinking; he knew that but the thought of her brought tears to his eyes. He missed everyone, but not having Mabel around was just painful. They may not have a psychic twin bond, but he wondered if she could sense how he was feeling. He wanted to run to her, hug her and never let her go. She was his rock, the one person who got him through the accident their parents had been involved in.

He couldn’t sleep; too paranoid to even consider not being conscious. What if he was asleep and Bill came back? What if the demon decided to…to…he swallowed, trying to force himself to think of the word. Rape. He’d been raped. The ugly word made goose bumps rise on his skin and bile rise into his throat. It hadn’t just been their “wedding” night, or whatever it was that the demons called it. Almost every night since, minus the few days Bill was away, the demon had forced his way into him. Of course Bill didn’t think of it as rape; why would the demon care about him? Why would the demon who had forced his hand in “marriage”, even consider his feelings?

He shivered in the corner, wrapping his arms around his knees. He was so helpless. Helpless and alone, with no one to help him. There was no door to get out; no windows to jump out of. He was essentially being kept in a box. An endless box with only a bathroom attached to the room by an archway. “There’s no way out,” he muttered, wiping the tears that threatened to pour out. “I’ll never see Mabel again.”

He glanced at the table, where something sharp caught his eye. It was a small cutting knife from his uneaten lunch. He glanced down at his wrist, a dark thought crossing his mind. Maybe…maybe it would be best to end it all. He could escape, find his parents in the afterlife somewhere and be away from Bill. There would be no more pain, no more suffering. He would feel peace, even if it meant having to suffer a little more with the few seconds he did the deed.

He didn’t remove himself from the corner, even though he wanted to grab the knife off the table. Something kept him pinned to the ground, preventing him from moving. Mabel. The thought of Mabel, and his Grunkles and other friends. What was he thinking? He couldn’t leave this world while there was still work to be done! He couldn’t…he couldn’t leave Mabel alone in this world. His promise to her, even all those years ago, was to always be together. He would never willingly leave her, no matter what was going on in their lives.

He had to find a way out. Even if he died in the process, he would leave and return to Mabel. He would return to Grunkle Stan and Ford. He would get back to his friends and they would stop Bill. Oh, and The Beast too; Wirt would probably like that. He would break this stupid bond and be free…

“Oh Pine Tree, what are you doing on the floor?”

He felt his heart freeze at the sound of that voice, dark eyes drifting upwards to where the demon was standing. In a flash, he was pulled from the corner and into the arms of the very being he hated most. “How’s my Pine Tree been?” Bill purred at him, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Did you miss me?”

“No!”

“Well that’s too bad,” he saw the gleam in Bill’s eye and the cold reminder of what was to come flared through his mind. “Because I missed you. How about we have a little fun, my lovely little Pine Tree.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be more eventful; this was more of a prelude to what is going to happen next. Comment please!


	23. Bottom of the river

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt returns to The Unknown and Dipper makes a discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I go back to school today. Technically classes don't start till Wednesday but I have a lot to do. My wallet was stolen so I had to order a lot of new stuff and now I have to get a new student I.D. A pain in the ass, but oh well. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer! Fall is almost here!!! That means Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin juice, pumpkin bars, pumpkin muffins, I could go on but I digress.
> 
> Also, one more day till my birthday!! Yay!!

_Hold my hand,_

_Oh baby it's a long way down to the bottom of the river,_

_Hold my hand,_

_Oh baby it's a long way down, a long way down_

_~Bottom of the River by Delta Rae~_

**(April 8, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

It had been too quiet.

Normally that wouldn’t bother her, but Xiāng ling knew better than to think that right now. The café was closed today due to the floor being waxed and Dave was out over seeing the process. It was nice to have a day off besides Saturday morning and Sunday, giving her time to spend with her youngest child. Currently she was sitting on the living room floor, watching her youngest toddle around carrying a ball that Greg brought home for her one day.

She glanced at the clock; smile widening as she realized it was almost three. In fifteen minutes, her sons would be home and the house wouldn’t feel so quiet. “Come on, Yin Wei, pass Mommy the ball!” she encouraged the little girl, who was growing bigger every day. “Come on, you can do it!”

The little girl only smiled at her, stumbling towards her on little legs and pressed the ball into her hands. “Good girl!” she stood up, taking the toddler into her arms and swung her around gently. “You’re so smart; my clever girl!”

The girl giggled at her, dark eyes catching the light of the ceiling and making them appear lighter. Outside, rain tapped against the window panes with a reassuring plink that spring was well on its way. She stood in the living room, her daughter’s fingers tangling in her hair as she held her protectively. Despite it being quiet, there seemed to be an overwhelming sense of anxiety; a sense that something was coming. She knew Wirt felt it too, and she had a feeling Greg was aware of things more than he let on.

Her brow furrowed at the thought of her oldest son. She kept subtly asking, dropping hints ask to question what was wrong. In public, he appeared to be fine, smiling and acting a little awkward due to teenage hormones. Yet whenever he thought no one was looking, she could see it. A thoughtful look that lingered on his face, which sometimes changed to guilt or shame. Even both, though she couldn’t understand why. If she bluntly asked him about it, she had the feeling he wouldn’t tell her and would deny that something was bothering him. He would shy away from her, retreat further into himself and let whatever was bothering him plague him further.

She blinked once when she felt her daughter tug sharply at her hair. She removed the baby’s fingers from her hands, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, Mommy got distracted,” Yin Wei just looked at her, continuing to smile at her childishly. She felt her heart ache slightly at this, bitter resentment towards the demons terrorizing her family bubbling up once more. “You don’t have to keep anything from me; I just want you to know. Mommy will always be there for you.”

“You know she’s a baby; she can’t exactly understand you.”

She almost dropped the baby right there, except that her instincts kicked in. She quickly moved, setting the toddler in her play pen and taking up the small dagger hidden in her jeans in a small pouch. She placed it in a defensive strike, almost ready to switch to offensive before realizing who was standing in front of her. “Annie?”

“Hey,” the short blonde waved at her, looking mildly annoyed for some reason. Her hands were stuffed in her sweatshirt and she leaned casually; almost in a bored manor. Standing next to her was a short, warty skinned woman with olive colored skin. Her long white hair was messy and unkempt, and for a moment, she swore there was something crawling in it. “Sorry we burst in like this.”

For once, she was without words. She stood in the middle of her living room, staring in surprise at the two females standing in front of her. She had no idea who this woman was; she knew Annie was learning magic to get better control of it but who was this woman? “Who are you?” she asked, collecting herself with a deep sigh. “Annie, while I’m usually very happy to see you, why did you randomly teleport in here?”

“This is Matilda,” Annie glanced down towards the very short and stubby woman, introducing her forward with her hand. “She’s my…mentor.”

“Most call me the Hand Witch,” the woman, Matilda, cackled with amusement. “But whatever you want to call me is fine.”

“…Okay,” she wondered briefly what her life was coming to but quickly pushed that aside and glanced back at towards her daughter, who was playing with her toys in the playpen. “So, are you going to explain why you’re here? Is Wirt in more trouble? Is Greg safe?”

Annie looked a little taken aback by seeing her go into full mother mode. Her blue eyes slightly widened and her hands released themselves from her pockets. “Wirt’s fine; Greg too,” she didn’t seem comfortable; she could tell this by the way she fidgeted with her long blonde bangs. She looked back towards her mentor once more and cleared her throat to speak once more. “We know where the Vessel of Envy is and how to get it.”

The very name caught her attention, dark eyes staring directly into the piercing blue of the blonde teenager’s. “How?” she asked, thinking that something was said to her once that the object was not in this world, though she couldn’t remember where it was. She looked back down at the very short witch, eyes narrowing. “And why would you, a dark witch, want to help us?”

“Look, I already went through this with Anneliese over here, so I’ll make it short,” she noticed Annie bristle at the use of her full name but if the witch cared, she didn’t show it. “I may be a dark witch, but I have no more affiliation with the Coven of the Dark Lantern. They are the reason I’m so ugly!”

Okay, she didn’t know that (nor did she really want to), but she continued to stare incredulously at the woman. The old woman gave an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “Anyway, since I hate Anneliese’s grandmother and mother, I figured if I taught their descendent, than I could a small form of revenge. She has no intention of being evil, you know.”

She glanced at Annie, who merely shrugged. “Good to know, but what does this have to do with the Vessel of Envy?”

The Vessel of Envy is in The Unknown with Anneliese’s grandmother, Adelaide. Though I’ve heard that Adelaide is no more,” the witch’s smile was all too cruel; way too pleased by this. “And I know your family is all too familiar with The Unknown.”

She pressed her lips together firmly, hands curling lightly into fists. She didn’t like thinking of The Unknown, it brought back too many memories. She’d been at a Halloween function with Dave, speaking with family friends when the phone call from the hospital came. Dave had to practically carry her to the car due to the shock she was in. The only thing running in her mind that night was the safety of her sons and if they were alive. And she would admit a small part of her despaired in the fact they could be dead and memories of her childhood returned; the thought of having to rebuild everything all over again.

It really was no fun scratching at old wounds.

“Yes, my sons had an experience in The Unknown,” she stated through clenched teeth. “What is your point?”

“My point is, Mrs. Macavin, is that I know a way into The Unknown that doesn’t involve your sons actually dying. Have you ever heard of a Death Walk?”

She felt for the knife in her pocket, face now contorting with rage. “You think I would allow my sons to go back to that awful place? THEY COULD HAVE DIED! WE COULD HAVE LOST THEM BOTH!” she normally didn’t get this angry but the attitude of the witch; how flippant could she be about this? “You think I would allow them to go back?”

“Well I never said both of them had to go back, really only one would do. Besides, it makes sense that one of them goes because they know The Unknown better than we do. He more than likely knows where that damn bitch lived,” the woman glanced towards Annie, who was busy looking at her phone. “No offense, dearie.”

“Whatever.”

She stepped closer towards the woman, towering over her like a giant. The woman was the height of a child, but there was something that flickered in her dark eyes. Something that warned her not to underestimate this woman, for she seemed ancient, one who had seen many things in her years. “I can’t allow my sons to go back. I can’t risk them getting hurt. I can’t allow The Beast to get them!”

“Ah, I see. So you would rather let our enemies get the item then?” the witch sneered at her, hands on her hips. “You would be so selfish to keep them here where you think they’re safe while those bastard demons and bitchy witches go out and claim the world? You won’t like the one they create if they win!”

“They won’t win,” she snapped back, practically having to kneel down to talk to the witch. “We will stop them! My family is strong; a lot stronger than a lot of families in the world.”

“Be that as it may, that won’t stop the enemy,” the witch sighed. “And don’t think I haven’t fought against them. Dropping houses on witches takes a lot of energy.”

“Mom, why is there a strange woman in our house? Oh, hey Annie.”

She grimaced at the sound of Wirt’s voice, looking told her oldest son and then back to the two visitors in her living room. “Wirt, come into the dining room,” she looked back to the witches in her living room. “Everyone, let’s sit down. We need to have a nice long discussion.”

**(April 8, Unknown destination)**

“Ow! Paper cut!”

Bringing his left index finger to his lips, he nursed the lightly bleeding wound with an annoyed glower, dark brown eyes scanning the pages beneath him. Bill was gone once again, leaving him all alone to his wits. While he was glad the damn demon was gone, that didn’t erase the overwhelming feeling that he was being watched somehow. It didn’t surprise him; would Bill really leave him unsupervised? Most likely no, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He was going to find a way out and some damn triangular demon was not going to stop him.

He had pulled out all the books on bonding he could find; any books on demons and their rituals too. There weren’t too many, at least too many that were helpful anyway. According to the book he had right in front of him, demon bondings didn’t happen very often. There were only fifty or so bonded demons in the world, though he supposed that his was now added. Lucky number fifty-one.

Bondings were not something to take lightly and with good reason. If done properly, a bond could be broken if both parties were mutual in their feelings and were okay with the bond being broken off. Only two cases of a healthy unbinding had ever occurred, leaving him to read the more unfortunate cases. The most unbinding rituals that had occurred had been hastily done, leaving one or both members dead or suffering terribly. He paled at that, heart thudding violently against his chest. There was no way Bill was going to want to break their “bond”. Not now, and quite possibly, not ever.

“Damnit,” he ran his hands through his messy brown hair, fingers getting caught in the curls. “This is getting nowhere!”

He wasn’t going to give up; there had to be something useful in these stupid books. There had to be something here that he could use against Bill, maybe even The Beast if he were lucky enough. With a sigh, he flipped through the pages, trying to find even more on breaking bonds with demons. There were cases, though small in number, of demons breaking bonds with humans, but he found nothing promising. There was one from three thousand years ago, where the demon got bored with their human companion and decided their bond wasn’t worth keeping anymore. The bond was severed, and the human had been immortal for almost a thousand years. The bond had kept her immortal and once broken; she had aged and shriveled away into dust, lost forever in the sea of time.

He couldn’t allow that to happen to him; Sweet Moses in Heaven he couldn’t allow that. He didn’t even know if he was immortal now or how this was going to work. Maybe he would age slowly, like only every million years he would get older. Or maybe at a certain age he would stop aging all together. For a moment, he briefly wondered what it would like to be immortal. Young, never aging, healthy. For some, it might be the best gift ever but to Dipper, it stirred something inside him. He didn’t want to be sixteen forever. He wanted to grow old, with Mabel, of course. He wanted to get older, be able to do things his teenage body wasn’t allowed to do. He wanted to go to college and earn as many PhDs as he could.

He was about ready to put the book aside and pull up the next one when a picture caught his eye. The page next to it had been torn out, as if someone did not want the reader to know what had happened. The title on the picture’s page stated that this was the bonding between a demon and a half-demon; something that had only happened once and over a thousand years ago. The demon was as dark as the night sky if not darker and its eyes were multiple rings of bright, hypnotizing colors. Antlers, or perhaps branches, sprouted from the side of his head. He stood tall, full regality and poise. A king in his own kingdom. Or forest. He didn’t take a genius to figure out who this demon was.

“The Beast,” he muttered in unconcealed distaste. “But if he’s bonded, why is he after…”

He trailed off, looking at the figure standing right across from the image of The Beast. It was a girl, no, a young woman that looked to be in her early twenties. Her long black hair was up in an intricate bun with a golden hairpiece woven in. Her dress was red, with a sash of gold, blue, and orange designs. The sleeves were transparent with the same color pattern and her hand was connected to The Beast. She was of Asian descent; Chinese due to the landscape behind them and the style of her dress.

The realization hit him like a slap to the face. The book slid off the floor and he wrapped his arms around himself, the room feeling like it had gotten colder. He let out a shriek as a hand wrapped around his throat, another and turning him around to look at the colorful kaleidoscope eyes of The Beast. “You really are persistent, Mason,” the demon’s voice was lower than anything he had heard before and he couldn’t tell if the demon was angry or in a sadistic sense of amusement. “It appears you figured out my connection to my Young Lover’s family.”

The grip on his throat tightened slightly but not enough to cut off inhalation. “You…you…that was his…grandmother!”

“Yes, it appears that was. It’s a tragic story what happened there,” The Beast spoke softly, as if reflecting on the events of long ago. “She was a wretch; I should have never allowed myself to be blinded by her.”

“What…what happened?”

The Beast merely chuckled, tilting his head mockingly at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Alas, it does not matter. What’s done is done,” the demon just grinned maliciously at him. “However, I look forward to having my Young Lover all to myself very, very soon.”

**(April 8, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

For a moment, he briefly regretted agreeing to this.

“Is this safe?” he asked out loud, wondering if anyone in the basement would answer him. He was stretched out on the floor in the middle of circle drawn by chalk. Candles were placed all around, his mother standing nearby out of motherly concern with Greg by her side, holding Jason tightly against his chest.

“If you see Lorna, you have to say hi!”

“I will, Greg.”

“Oh, and the Woodsman too! And Auntie Whispers!”

“I will, Greg,” he smiled thinly, trying to mask the worry on his face. Of course Greg was able to tell; he couldn’t hide anything from the kid. “Don’t worry; I’ll be okay.”

“If you want, I can go with you,” the boy offered, looking up at their mother with expectant and hopeful eyes. “Oh, and Jason too! We can be the amazing duo that beat’s the nasty old Beast and save the day!”

Their mother only sighed, patting Greg’s head affectionately and looked towards the witches, who were beginning to start up the spell. Even if Annie looked very passive, he could see the way she was biting her lip in anticipation. He didn’t blame her; he was nervous as well. She had never performed a spell of this level and he wasn’t entirely sure if he was ready to go back into The Unknown. Not to mention he would be venturing alone this time.

The Hand Witch stepped closer towards him, the moon symbols on her arm glowing as she and Annie got things ready. The symbols on her arm glowing as well, making her eyes appear silver in the dimly lit light of the basement. “Remember,” the witch raised a finger, a long olive colored appendage that wagged at him. “You only have an hour and a half to find what you’re looking for. From what we knew, it sounds like your friend Beatrice more than likely still has the scissors. You know where she lives?”

“The old mill,” he responded without second guessing himself. “Hopefully they’re not bluebirds anymore.”

“They’re not!” Greg chirped. “Beatrice is beautiful! The look on your face said so!”

“Greg!”

“Boys!” the old witch snapped, the tone of her voice suggesting that arguing with her was not acceptable. “This is not the time to be joking around. A Death Walk is highly dangerous. If Wirt does not return to this world at the designated time, he could be lost to the afterlife forever. And trust me; those in charge of the afterlife are _extremely possessive_ of those in their charge.”

Well. That didn’t make things better. If anything, it only made his heart sink lower into his stomach. There was a chance he would not return at all; forever being stuck in The Unknown or worse. The Beast would more than likely come after him, something that both sickened him and gave him a disturbing sense of excitement. He decided to keep the latter part to himself, something he had kept to himself lately anyway.

How was he supposed to tell his mother what he was feeling? He couldn’t just go up to her and say “Hey Mom, I think I have some messed up feelings for the demon who’s threatened our family. Are you okay with this?” He was pretty sure she would have a heart attack or worse. He could see her taking a sword or any sharp object in general and run into the forest to find and kill The Beast. He supposed though if that did happen it would take care of their problem, though they would still have to find Dipper.

“Walter.”

He looked up towards his mother, and he was surprised to find that her face was kind of blurry. She knelt down, long hair tickling his face. She took his hand, squeezing it very tightly. “Please,” she spoke so lowly that he could barely hear her, her voice as gentle and soft as the autumn breeze. “Please return. And be safe. Come back to us, Walter. We love you so very, very much.”

He swallowed the tight lump in his throat, squeezing her hand back. He knew she didn’t feel comfortable about this; he didn’t blame her. She wanted to go, but he insisted. She didn’t know Beatrice, nor did she know her way through The Unknown. He certainly wasn’t going to let Greg go for he was too little so that left him, the older brother. The Beast was his problem and he would take care of him.

Even if he did have some weird feelings circling around the demon.

In the distance, he could hear the Hand Witch and Annie chanting something in an ancient language that no human probably knew. The candles turned from a bright orange to a black, darkening the room with an ominous affect. He noticed Greg take their mother’s hand, Jason turning his face away. The symbols on the witches’ arms glowed even brighter as did their eyes. The Hand Witch’s eyes began to glow a brilliant shade of yellow while Annie’s began to glow an electric blue. Their chanting only intensified as did the glowing, resulting in his vision becoming blurrier and blurrier.

Eventually, he saw nothing but darkness.

His eyes flashed open, dark gray orbs reflecting the bright sunlight from outside and his nose taking in the scent of evergreen trees. Gone were his mother and brother as well as the witches. Gone were the candles and stuff in the basement. The only thing that remained was the circle drawn by chalk, embedded now in the grass. He glanced at his watch, frowning slightly. He only had an hour and a half to get to the mill and back. Not enough time to chat with Beatrice and her family, but the last thing he needed was to cause his family worry.

So with a heavy sigh, he adjusted his dark blue sweater vest and journeyed further; deeper, into The Unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shall see you all next time for an even LONGER chapter. I think you will all like the next one >:)


	24. The Razor's Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt finds Beatrice and someone unexpected makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so before we begin, holy cow this took a long time to write. I told you the next chapter would be long! It's over 10,000 words on my document and I'm so proud! 
> 
> I did go back and edited the chapter called Gasoline. Wu has an injury to her left eye and that plays a key part in this chapter. Not spoiling why though! Guys, we're five chapters away from the ending! I'm not looking forward to it though because I've enjoyed working on this so much! The next chapter is going to be a bitch to write cause I struggle with meaningful dialogue. I hope it isn't too bad because the Macavin-Palmer family really do love each other and I hope you can all see that. I mean, minus Mort because he's a dick but they care for him a little.
> 
> So next chapter will be out in a week or maybe a couple. Busy college student after all!

_I'm scared 'cause the past,_

_Keeps pulling me back,_

_Distorting the future,_

_It's holding me close,_

_It loves me the most,_

_It's tearing the sutures,_

_It won't let me heal,_

_It tells us what's real,_

_There is no truth there,_

_My vision's gone black,_

_I'm scared 'cause the past keeps pulling me_

_~The Razor's Edge by Digital Daggers~_

**(April 8, The Unknown)**

“To Adelaide’s…Adelaide’s…come on and join the Adelaide parade. Adelaide! Adelaide! We’re going to Adelaide’s house today…oh geeze, I need to stop talking to myself.”

With a loud sigh, he silently wished that Greg was here. Not in the sense he wanted his brother dead and walking around aimlessly through The Unknown, rather he wished he was here so he could have so company. Unlike the last time, the woods were quiet. Well, the woods had been quiet before but he couldn’t really concentrate on that with his brother’s endless chatter. Now he could hear just how ominous and silent the trees were. Large oak and pine trees were tightly grouped together amongst other trees he couldn’t name. Every now and then, little animals would come out and scurry by, sometimes pausing to stare at him before going on their merry way.

He even had to stop for a few seconds as a mother duck and her ducklings crossed in his path.

Surprisingly, it was still pretty bright outside. He figured time worked differently in The Unknown, seeing as it looked to be around noon at best. Unlike the last time he was here, it had been autumn that had just transitioned into winter. Now it was spring, with the grass looking greener and buds opening up slightly with the promise of leaves and flowers. The birds sung cheerfully, a lot cheerfully than he remembered. Maybe it was because The Beast no longer terrorized this little pocket of the universe?

He was surprised with himself that he remembered the way to Beatrice’s home. If he got there fast enough and retrieved the scissors, he could possibly find the Woodsman. If he was still alive; he wasn’t really quite sure what had become of him after he blew the lantern out. For all he knew, the man was an Edelwood tree, serving as a hollow reminder for those who lost their way in the woods. He shivered at the dark thought, wrapping his arms around himself. Even though it wasn’t cold out, he couldn’t stop the chills that erupted down his body.

He pushed the top of his sleeve back, revealing the inky tattoo beneath his lower wrist. He hadn’t really explained to his mother about his dream. About the hauntingly beautiful woman with an inhuman presence. Or the little girl who would one day conquer The Beast and start their family line, all with a mysterious injury to her left eye. Even when he got answers, albeit short answers, only more questions arose. He couldn’t find the exact reasoning to why the demon wanted _him._ Even with his mysterious and creepy answers that didn’t give him any peace.

He closed his eyes, taking in the warm rays of the sun. It was peaceful here; calm without the threat of a demon who consumed souls. Was this what it was like in The Unknown all those centuries ago before The Beast claimed this place? He liked it now; didn’t fear it as much as he had a year ago. Of course he hadn’t seen all of it, but that didn’t bother him so much now. The Unknown, as he had come to realize, wasn’t meant to be feared. It was the familiar that brought heartache and woe. The familiar had the sense of reality that had to be faced whether he wanted to or not.

He found, as he continued musing to himself on his peaceful walk that the world was like a poem. He was a misplaced soul sailing parts unknown with the hope, and the dread of returning home. A tragic yet surprisingly beautiful poem. The world showed nothing of kindness for anyone. The world did not care about age, race, or gender. There was cruelty all around, shrouding the world in a thick blanket of night.

Yet every morning, a sunrise could be found. He smiled, shaking his head at the horrible piece of poetry that crossed his mind. He could do better than that. If he had a piece of paper right now, he could surely think of something more poetic and graceful. He could imagine himself sitting against one of the trees here, pen and paper in hand as he wrote down the things he observed; the things he felt.

He shook his head once more, shaking those thoughts away. He had to stay focused to the mission. He couldn’t allow himself to get nostalgic now, even if The Unknown looked particularly beautiful now. Beatrice’s home wasn’t too far away, if he remembered correctly. The mill where the Woodsman had established his temporary home to make oil for the damnable demon that somehow managed to survive. Oh wait; never mind that, the demon had never been dead to begin with. Just tossed into this world without a second thought. Not that he blamed his grandmother; he was sure she was doing what she believed needed to be done.

Still, why she hadn’t bothered telling the rest of her lineage the reason was a mystery. Why it wasn’t in The Oracle bones was peculiar; unsettling. Maybe she didn’t think The Beast would come back, or she didn’t want them to worry. The cynical part of him wondered if she had died sealing The Beast away. Of course, if she had died, that would mean him and his family wouldn’t exist. Perhaps more people wouldn’t exist and The Beast would have probably found his way out of The Unknown and terrorized someone else.

The trees rustled as a spring breeze blew by, a chilly feeling that made him shake a little. Despite the few clouds that covered the sky, it was a beautiful day. Yet just taking one whiff of the air, he could smell it. Rain was coming. Perhaps not now, or even today, but it was on its way. He hoped it wouldn’t happen while he was here; he didn’t have a cloak like the last time.

Then all of a sudden, there it was.

The mill stood right where he had last seen it. Only, there was something different about it. It didn’t look abandoned, which could quickly be deduced by the children playing right in front of it with a dog. From his spot near the trees, he could see a man and two young boys on the roof nailing new shingles to the roof. On the ground below, standing with her hands on her hips, was Beatrice. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw her, pausing as he watched her yell something up at the men on the roof.

His smile soon faded as a thought crossed his mind. How was he going to explain everything that had happened? Or better yet, why he was back in The Unknown. Why was he so certain she still had the scissors? Maybe she pawned them off somewhere, hoping to get rid of them for a decent amount of money. They were real gold, even he could tell that from just feeling them the first time. However, he hadn’t known they were a cursed object until only a short while ago.

“Excuse me, who are you?”

He jumped, looking down in surprise at a little girl standing three feet away from him. Her bright orange hair in braided pigtails and a white bonnet covering most of her head. She wore a turquoise green dress with a white apron and right behind her, a boy around the same age stood behind her with the same shade of bright orange hair and suspicious green eyes. Twins, he quickly realized and placed his hands up in a friendly wave. “Uh, hi,” he greeted, trying to not be intimidated by their rosy freckled faces and startling eyes that seemed to glare straight into his soul. “I’m a friend of Beatrice. My name-“

“BEATRICE!” the girl suddenly yelled, her voice a lot louder than he anticipated and he had to cover his ears. “SOME GUY IS HERE TO SEE YOU! HE LOOKS LIKE A WEIRDO!”

Beatrice whirled around, looking mildly annoyed to why she was being yelled at but that look soon faded when she noticed him. First she paled, and then her rosy cheeks darkened even more as her entire face turned pink with anger. She stormed over; hands clenched into fists and her strides especially long and full of purpose.

When she finally reached them, she glanced over at the young children. “Lydia, Clay, go inside with the others and tell Mom we have company.”

“But-“ the boy, Clay, started to protest, but shut up once Beatrice glared at him. With a nod, he took his sister by the hand and ran back over to the other children, who had stopped playing in the front yard.

_SLAP_

“Ow!”

His cheek stung as she slapped him, hand flying to the now angry imprint on his face. “What was that for?”

“What are you doing here?” she hissed angrily, and he could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. “Why are you here again? Oh God, where’s Greg? Is Greg here?”

“No!” he stepped back, avoiding another slap sent in his direction. “Beatrice, I can explain everything! Greg isn’t here, I promise! Just don’t slap me again!”

She paused, the anger fading into a look of relief at the mention of Greg. She threw her arms around him in a tight hug, giving a short little laugh. “You idiot!” she didn’t sound angry. Exasperated, but not angry. “You better explain everything! If you don’t, I swear I’ll-“

“I will,” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as she let go of him, now looking curious. “I will, just, can we go inside? What I’ve got to say probably isn’t going to make any sense.”

She nodded slowly, green eyes never leaving his for a moment. “Yeah,” she gave a sigh, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You do have some explaining to do. Well, come on in. We just got done with lunch, so there might be something left over. You like soup?”

“Who doesn’t?”

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, hand grasping his firmly. “Don’t be a jerk,” she grumbled, but he could see her lips biting back the smile. “Come on, my family’s been asking me about the boy who gave me the scissors. I just never thought they would actually meet you.”

A few months ago, he would never have thought he’d ever meet Beatrice’s family. Yet now here he was, entering their home which he and his brother had destroyed. He cringed internally at the memory, hoping her family wasn’t too upset by that. If they even knew. He prayed to whoever was up there that they didn’t know.

The house was a lot cleaner and put together than the last time he’d seen it. The furniture had been either replaced or remade, with the smells of soup and lavender soap drifting in the air. He smiled wanly at the blue bird sculpture sitting on an end table, recalling the time when the woodsman broke it before falling unconscious. Of course, he wasn’t going to bring that up. He didn’t want her family to be angry with him, after all. Beatrice glanced over at him, green eyes even brighter in the bright light of the room. The last time he’d seen her, they were around the same height. Now, her eye line was in direct contact with his collarbone. Had he really grown that much?

“You’re taller,” she grumbled at this, though he could tell she wasn’t really annoyed. “How’s Greg?”

“He’s taller too,” he grinned as she rolled her eyes, a smile pulling at the upper corners of her lips. “He’s lost a little of his baby fat too. Don’t think he’s going to be as tall as me though.”

“Gee, what a shame.”

“Beatrice! Who is this little friend of yours? My, isn’t he a handsome lad.”

Beatrice’s face just turned bright pink with embarrassment. “Mom!”

He took a good look at Beatrice’s mother, noticing right away the similarities. She wasn’t especially tall; though definitely not short either, with bright orange hair and freckles dancing across her rosy cheeks. She was plump with a kind look in her green eyes that reminded him of a kind mother. He internally slapped himself for that last part because she was a mother. A mother of _eleven_ children. She laughed at her daughter’s embarrassment, eyes twinkling mischievously. “I remember you,” she smiled, shifting the baby in her arms as she stepped forward. “You’re the boy who helped Beatrice! We were all wondering where you went and when you would stop by!”

“What? My brother and I don’t live-“ he paused in mid-sentence when Beatrice lightly stepped on his foot. Out of the corner of his eye, he could feel her glaring at him lightly, a warning in those bright green orbs. “My brother and I…don’t live nearby. My mother was sick.”

Okay that wasn’t a total lie. His mother had been sick after they returned home, but it was with the flu and had only lasted a week. Not that he was going to tell them that, but it wasn’t as if he could entirely explain where he had come from. Beatrice’s mother just nodded her head, setting the baby down in the cradle nearby and took his hand gently. “I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we all are, young man,” she smiled, speaking in a merry voice. “My name is Agatha. I don’t believe we got your name.”

“It’s uh, Wirt,” he noticed the confusion in her eye and smiled softly. “It’s short for Walter.”

“Ah, unusual nickname, but I like it,” she grinned and headed towards the archway that led into another room. “You hungry? I still have some soup left over if you would like some.”

“Sure,” he didn’t want to appear rude and deny her hospitality. “I mean, yes please.”

In a flash she disappeared and Beatrice motioned for him to sit down at the round white clothed table. She studied him, not blinking for a long time as she tilted her head suspiciously. “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing back here? Not that I’m unhappy to see you, it’s just…”

“Weird?”

“Yeah,” she smiled slightly at that. “My mom and dad have been wanting to meet you for so long. I keep telling them you’re not from around these parts; that you live a long way from where we live. I can’t explain,” her voice lowered, and she leaned across the table to whisper to him. “I can’t explain to them that you’re from the _other side.”_

“The what?”

“Ah! So you must be the boy that saved my daughter and our family!”

A hand clasped firmly on his shoulder and a man with a moustache smiled down at him, brown eyes sparkling with excitement. His hair was the same shade as Beatrice’s and it was slightly messy and sweaty from the work he was doing on the roof. “My name is Edwin,” the man shook his hand with a firm grip. “And you are?”

“Walter,” he tried not to be nervous, even though he was taller than this man by maybe an inch. “But I go by Wirt.”

“Wirt, huh? Well that’s an unusual name but if that’s what you like to be called, so be it!”

“Dad!” Beatrice groaned, placing a hand on her forehead in exasperation. “Can you not be embarrassing for one minute?”

“Nonsense!” the man just grinned, much to his daughter’s chagrin. “So Wirt, have you met the rest of our family?”

“I met your wife, Agatha, if that’s what you mean.”

“Let me introduce you to our children,” he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him up lightly from his chair to where the others were standing in the parlor area. “Beatrice is our third eldest child, after our son William and our daughter, Mary,” he indicated towards the older children, who looked to be in their early twenties. “Then we have Elizabeth, Alfred, Arthur, our twins Lydia and Clay, and then we have Tom, our youngest son Ashley and our baby Alice.”

His head was swimming with names and faces, trying to ignore the snickering coming from Beatrice in the background. He smiled at them, introducing himself once more before Agatha returned with a bowl of soup in her hands. “Edwin,” she scolded lightly, motioning for him to return to his seat to eat. “Don’t confuse the boy; there’s no way he’s going to remember their names right away.”

Well, at least someone understood that.

He sat down, stomach suddenly rumbling at the smell of the soup. It was some sort of beef soup, one that reminded him vaguely of the one his mother made back home. He blew on it before taking a bite, instantly craving more afterwards. It was delicious; something that had been made with love and care. Perhaps cooking was something she took pride in. “This is really good,” he said towards the older woman, watching her swell up with pride. “Thank you.”

“Oh thank you,” she beamed, looking at her husband once more in a light teasing way. “At least someone appreciates my cooking.”

“Hey!”

She laughed with a merry sounding voice that filled his heart with warmth. One of the boys, Tom or maybe Ashley, hopped up in the seat next to him, staring quite intently with doe like brown eyes. “You look funny,” the boy commented innocently, tilting his curiously. “You have funny eyes.”

“Ashley!” Edwin scolded, cuffing the boy on the back of his head. “What a rude thing to say! Apologize at once!”

The boy just bowed his head, probably so his father would not punish him again. “I’m sorry,” the boy spoke in a small voice. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s okay,” he quickly amended, wishing he didn’t sound so nervous. “My mother’s Chinese and my father is of European descent.”

“Oh, she’s an Oriental?” Agatha asked, pouring some tea into a cup and passing it to him with careful, worn hands. “Well, we certainly don’t mind. We haven’t heard much news about people from the East, though I have seen some very beautiful designs from there. You, young man, have very beautiful eyes.”

He just knew his mother would be proud. “Thanks,” he smiled back at her, taking a sip from the tea. “I got them from her.”

She chuckled slightly at his little joke, with Beatrice rolling her eyes at him. The woman sat down, her husband taking a seat beside her. “So what brings you around here? Surely not for a visit, though you are most certainly welcome in our home.”

Oh boy, where would he even begin? He took another bite of the soup, trying to bring himself together so he could answer her question without sounding like a confused idiot. “My…town,” he supposed he might as well start with what was currently going on, though he wasn’t quite sure how to explain the rest. “Has been having a problem with demons. The main one being The Beast.”

He wasn’t surprised that they all gasped, excluding Beatrice who just stared at the table with hard eyes. “But that can’t be,” Agatha sounded as surprised as the rest of them, blinking quickly as she tried to process that information in. “Beatrice told us that you defeated him; convinced that Woodsman to blow his lantern out!”

“There’s more to it,” he sighed, now not very hungry. “You see, my great, great grandmother bound him to the lantern. I don’t know why or how she did it, but she trapped him and made sure that he would not harm anyone else in our area again.”

He didn’t lie lying to them like this; they seemed like good people. Yet the warning look in Beatrice’s eyes was hiding something. Something important that the rest of them appeared to be missing out on. If he could get a moment alone with her, he would have to ask. “Yet he harassed anyone who ventured out into the woods for too long,” Edwin sounded troubled, hands folded together on the table as he stared at the white cloth. “We didn’t let any of our children go out after dark; never let them venture too far from home. That is, until after we were turned into Bluebirds.”

“Sorry,” he found himself flushing out of shame. “I don’t think my grandmother intended for him to move beyond our area to take poor souls that wandered through the woods.”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Agatha smiled, taking her husband’s hand into hers. “We’re just glad he’s gone now. I cannot even begin to recount all the stories I heard about The Beast and the souls he would snatch up. I just never imagined he could still be around.”

“Once the Woodsman blew out his lantern, he freed him. Not that he knew that, of course, but once the demon was free, he started terrorizing my village. My family and I are safe because we know how to keep away from demons, but his song does get annoying,” he attempted to lighten the mood, but scolded himself once it failed. “Anyway, we found a way to defeat him for good.”

“You did?” Edwin asked, sharing an astonished look with his wife. “Tell us!”

“There are seven objects called The Vessels of Sin. One item for each sin and we have five of them in our possession right now. The last two we need are the Vessels of Envy and Pride. The Vessel of Envy is called the Twin Blades of Levianta. We believe that your family is in possession of it.”

“Adelaide’s scissors,” Beatrice murmured, meeting his gaze with wide eyes. “Of course it has to be those blasted scissors.”

“You still have them?”

“Of course we do,” she snapped lightly at him, narrowing her eyes just a little. “I was going to get rid of them, but something didn’t feel right about them. I know Adelaide was a witch, but I never thought that her scissors could be something demonic until recently.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, giving her the same inquisitive look her parents were giving her now.

“I mean,” she wet her lips, taking a deep breath as she collected herself and the thoughts going on in her head. “They turned us back into our true form, so I knew they were probably enchanted or something. After we turned back, I kind of forgot about the scissors and left them in a drawer. I’ve been…having strange dreams ever since.”

“What dreams?”

“Well,” she trailed off momentarily; biting her lip as she once again paused. “I would dream about things I wanted; things I couldn’t have. And it made me angry and jealous, yet once I woke up, I could never explain why I was feeling those things. Until one night when I woke up and found that my drawer was glowing in an emerald green light.”

“So, what did you do?” he asked cautiously, her parents nodding in agreement to that question.

“I put them in the mill; in one of the table drawers,” she sighed, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear. “After that, the dreams ceased and I could sleep peacefully once more. I never want to see those scissors again so if you need them, you can have them.”

Silence descended upon the parlor, the soup in front of him going cold from all the talking going on earlier. Agatha placed a hand over her daughter’s, gently squeezing it. “Beatrice is right,” she commented, looking to him once more. “If you need the scissors to defeat The Beast, then by all means take them. Consider it a thank you for helping our daughter when she needed it most.”

“Thank you,” he breathed, looking down at the watch. He had forty five minutes left; thirty minutes to walk back towards the place where the chalk engraving was. “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means for my village.”

“Of course!” Edwin grinned, the mood now lightening up and the ominous cloud of despair disappearing. “Any friend of Beatrice’s is a friend of ours.”

“Dad!”

“Well it’s true sweetie.”

“Thank you so much, Agatha, Edwin,” he pushed back the chair, looking at the watch once more before smiling at her. “But I must get going now.”

“Must you leave so soon?”

“I have to get going home before it gets too dark out,” he lied, though he couldn’t stop the pang of sadness that stabbed at him. He didn’t want to leave right away, but he had to get home. If he ran out time and wasn’t in the circle… “My mother doesn’t like me staying away for too long. The paranoia of The Beast has really been bad on her health.”

“Oh goodness,” Agatha frowned at this, shaking her head solemnly. “Well then by all means, you must get going. Beatrice, will you get the scissors for him?”

“Yeah,” the girl stood up, taking his hand into hers firmly. “Come on Wirt, let’s get going.”

He let out a yelp as she dragged him across the floor board in a determined mindset. The family waved at him, the children giggling at their sister’s antics. “Be safe!” Agatha called out, Edwin’s hand clasped in hers. “And do tell your family hello!”

“I will! Thank you so much!”

She closed the door swiftly behind them, her grip still very bone crushing. The mill was exactly as he remembered, though not as destroyed. It was still being repaired and Beatrice caught his gaze, shaking her head. “I didn’t tell my family you and your brother caused this,” she grinned slightly at his sigh of relief. “As far as they know, you’ve never seen the mill.”

“Thank you.”

“I know you’re not telling the complete truth,” when he opened his mouth to deny this, she cut him off sharply. “Don’t think of denying it; I know a liar when I see one.”

“I wasn’t lying about The Beast,” he narrowed his eyes at her, crossing his arms in front of himself defensively. “He really is terrorizing my town. Other demons too.”

“I know, but I wasn’t referring to that. You kept some parts out, but I knew I couldn’t ask in front of them. They don’t know you’re from the other side.”

He frowned. “The other side?”

 She glanced around the mill quickly, lowering her voice to a whisper that he could barely hear. “The other side is what the mortal world is called. The Unknown is limbo, you know that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, a lot of us here haven’t realized we’re dead,” her eyes shone with such sadness that he felt his heart drop into his stomach. “I know our family died in a fire. As far as I know, I’m the only one who remembers it. The others…don’t even know.”

He nodded at this, suddenly feeling guilty for knowing that information as well. “Why don’t you tell them?”

“I can’t,” she shook her head, the frown on her face only deepening. “We have to realize it for ourselves. I’ve accepted we are dead, but they don’t know it. I was just sitting on a rock one day; fishing when it hit me. The despairing realization; the sorrow and the peace all merging into one. I almost disappeared that day, yet I’ve been holding onto my grip of The Unknown.”

“What do you mean by disappeared?”

She shook her head. “I don’t really know,” she sounded thoughtful, a pondering look replacing the frown. “I just felt like I was fading, disappearing from this world and into some other one. I have a feeling there is more to The Unknown, but I can’t leave my family behind. We stay together; no matter what.”

She stepped away from him, heading towards a table cluttered with paper and ink, quills stuffed into random place holders and paper weights in the shape of bluebirds sitting on the papers to hold them down. She reached into a drawer, fishing around for a few minutes to pull out the golden scissors, glaring at them in distaste. “Here,” she placed them gently in his hands, holding his own for a few more seconds. “I never want to see these things again.”

“Thank you, Beatrice.”

She shook her head, a smirk playing at her lips. “Just get going, you wonderful mistake of nature,” she leaned forward, giving his cheek a peck. “And don’t let me catch you around here again. You don’t belong here, Wirt. And I better not see Greg around either. He’s far too young to be back here.”

“I won’t let anything happen to him, I promise,” he flushed, still feeling the press of her lips against his cheek.

“Good.”

She walked with him towards the edge of the forest, across the little stepping stones that stood in the creek. “Goodbye Wirt,” she hugged him again, a little more gently this time. “Take care, okay? Maybe one day we’ll see each other again. Hopefully not here.”

“Me too,” he hugged her back, trying to fight back the sadness that tugged at his heart. He wanted to stay a bit longer, but he had to get going. If he got stuck here, then Beatrice really would get mad, not to mention he would be cut off from his family quite possibly forever. “Goodbye Beatrice.”

She watched him go, standing at the edge of the forest until he disappeared from her sight. From a distance, he could see her return to her home, a little bounce in her step as she greeted her family in the doorway. He smiled at that. He was happy for her; she deserved to be happy and not suffering in guilt like the last time.

For what seemed a long time, he walked in silence. The forest was unusually quiet now, for a reason he couldn’t even begin to understand. There was no wind, no insects chirping. The animals were either gone or hiding from something dangerous; something that could eat or hurt them. He felt the hairs on his neck creeping upwards and quickened his pace. There was something off; unnatural in the woods and he didn’t want to stick around and find out.

A dark feeling settled in the pit of his stomach, casting over his thoughts like a gloomy weather forecast. Maybe the rain was starting to come in, though he had a gut feeling that wasn’t the case. He paused in his walk, looking around behind him with suspicious eyes. There was something out there, watching his every move. Something, or rather someone, he knew very well.

Of course, how The Beast was able to get to The Unknown was beyond him. Perhaps the demon knew ways into the place; it wouldn’t be too surprising if he really thought about it. Though he wondered why the demon didn’t intercede earlier. He was so close to where the circle was now; he could see the clearing where he first arrived in The Unknown. If he hurried, he could get to it in time and return home, all without running into any trouble.

It was a nice thought, really.

“You look like you had a nice visit, though I must say that she’s a rather distasteful girl.”

He wouldn’t have been surprised if organ music came raining from the sky, alerting the entire Unknown that the demon was back. He turned around, sighing through his nose and giving the demon the nastiest glare he could muster at this point. Of course the demon was in that ridiculous human form of his; looking attractive as ever. He attempted to ignore that last part but the demon just grinned at him, sharp blinding white teeth glistening in the light. “It’s been a while since I’ve been back here. I must say, it is quite liberating to be able to be in the sun once more.”

“Good for you,” he rolled his eyes, taking a step back as the demon advanced towards him. “I’m not giving you the scissors if that’s what you want.”

“Oh, I’m not here for them; I can get those any time I want really,” he ground his teeth at the nonchalant tone of The Beast. The demon kept striding towards him, and he felt like a cornered animal once his back hit the bark of a tree. The demon was only two feet away, but he felt it. That strange song that kept calling him towards the creature; the desire that thrilled his blood and filled him with a rush of adrenaline. The Beast, only smirked once more, knowing full well what was going on in his mind. “I just came here to spend time with you. We don’t get to see each other as much as I would like.”

“And thank God for that,” he grumbled out, avoiding the demon’s strangely beautiful eyes. “Now leave me alone.”

“Must we keep going at this? This little charade of yours really is getting old,” the demon sighed, as if he were the one being a petulant child. “I was thinking you had grown up a little. I was hoping we could have a nice little chat without me having to hurt you.”

“If you ever think we’re going to have a nice little chat, you’re dreaming!” he snapped towards the monster, refusing to meet his gaze. “Now if we’re done here, I would like to go home. My family is probably worried about me and-“

He hadn’t anticipated the hand closing around his throat, his head hitting the bark of the tree with a dull thud. The Beast towered over him, eyes staring down at him coldly. “Your _precious family,”_ The Beast sneered down at him, lips curling unpleasantly at the very mention of the word. “Mean absolutely nothing to me. I think you can give me a little bit of your time, don’t you think? They see you enough already.”

“I love them!” he knows it’s risky, baiting the demon like this but he can’t bring himself to care too much. “They mean absolutely everything to me!”

“Even your father?”

He paused at that. The feelings about his father were confusing enough, why did the demon feel the need to bring him up so often? Call him crazy, but did The Beast have daddy issues. He could almost imagine that, and if it were any other situation he would have laughed but not now. The pale eyes of The Beast were close to him, daunting; intimidating in the world he no longer had control of. “Well, Young Lover?” the demon leaned closer, and he could feel his cold breath on his face.

His father was a jerk. He had known that for a very long time; it wasn’t new information. Yet, he couldn’t say he was always so bad. His father was the reason he started playing clarinet. He had taken him to some symphony in their town where there was a clarinet solo. He had immediately fallen in love with the instrument and had spoken nonstop about the instrument to the older man. He hadn’t thought his father cared too much; it was the year before his parents divorced after all yet on his birthday a month later, there was a clarinet. The memory was embedded in his heart, and even to this day, it brought a smile to his face.

The Beast merely frowned at this.

“Even my father,” he sighed, staring the demon directly in the eye with an even, resilient gaze. “But I guess I can’t expect a creature like you to understand.”

That was not the answer The Beast was expecting and he reveled in the look of surprise that crossed the creature’s pale features. He pushed the demon back without much force, squaring his shoulders and turning his back towards him. “I’m going home,” he felt the scissors in his hand, a little sigh leaving his lips as he remembered he still had them and quickly put them in his pocket. “So, you go do whatever it is you do.”

He hadn’t even taken a step when a force pulled him back, throwing him to the forest floor. The Beast stood over him, face betraying no emotion yet he could just tell the demon was not pleased with his remark. “It never ceases to amaze me how loyal you humans are to your families, though I suppose it is not so different with demons,” The Beast paused, staring at him a bit more with a look that made him think twice about getting up and trying to escape. The Beast then grins sadistically, making the gesture seem unnatural. “It’s sweet; pitiable of you to care so much for someone who cares so little for you.”

“I don’t know why you bring this up so much,” he grumbles back, glaring defiantly at him. “And isn’t it the same way with you? You care nothing for me, so why bother me so much?”

“Is that what you really think? My Young Lover, I thought you were a little more intelligent than that,” he bristled at the mocking tone of The Beast. “If I did not care for you, would I really invest so much of my precious time in you?”

“No one asked you too!” he propped himself up on his elbows, showing no fear or hesitation in his gaze. “I never asked for this! Never asked for you to bother me!”

“Can you really say I’m bothering you?” The Beast tilted his head curiously. “You seem to like all the attention.”

“W…what? That’s ridiculous!” his face turns pink, and he didn’t know why, but all of a sudden he was aware of how quickly his heart was beating. Or rather, how quickly it started beating whenever the demon was around. The Beast merely smiled at him. He scowled at this; he’d never really been a convincing liar, though recently people seemed to have started buying the lies whenever he was asked if he was alright.

“You can’t really keep denying your attraction for me,” The Beast commented casually as if they were discussing something simple, like the weather. “It’s tearing you up inside and while seeing you all worked up has been amusing, it is now getting rather tiresome, wouldn’t you agree? Wouldn’t it just be easier if you accepted me? Accepted the part of you that craves what we could have?”

“There’s nothing we could have! Do you really think I can just ignore the fact you’ve harassed my family, did something to my grandmother, have hurt the people I care about and almost killed Greg! Did you really think I would just ignore those facts?” He pushed himself to his feet, stepping as close as he could to the demon to try and look intimidating. It hurt, though not physically. He could feel that part of him, the part he desperately tried to hide away. The part of him that wanted to be in the arms of the creature he hated most. “If you think that I’m going to forgive you after-“

He hadn’t expected to be thrown to the forest floor once more, The Beast glaring down at him with the odd eyes full of anger. “ _Impudent boy,_ ” the demon snarled at him, roots upheaving themselves from the ground to wrap around his forearms, holding him down to the floor possessively and completely at the demon’s mercy. “You think that I need your forgiveness to do anything? You seem to be forgetting who is in charge of the situation, _Wirt._ ”

“Well if you think that this little stunt is earning you any points, you’re mistaken,” a root reaches over to wrap around his neck. Not enough to cause pain or discomfort, but he would be foolish not to take note of the warning. “Let go of me!”

“No, you’re making demands,” The Beast said this with no feeling, kneeling down to come to his eye level. “I think we need to do something about this attitude of yours. It’s becoming repugnant, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Get off of me! I need to get home!” he can’t see what time it is on his watch but he none the less begins to panic.

The roots around his arms only tighten, digging securely into his flesh. The Beast observes him, leaning down a little closer so that he can’t turn his face away from the demon. A pale hand traces his face, brushing his bangs away from his forehead. “You seem to be forgetting who is in charge of the situation,” The Beast runs a hand through his hair, the fingers sliding effortlessly through the dark locks. He hated himself for it, but he leaned into the touch even though every fiber of his mind screamed at him to pull away. “Do not forget you’re in my domain.”

“You don’t own this place!”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong,” The Beast’s hands trailed downwards, resting on his neck and collarbone in a feather light touch. “I am king to this realm. I may not be bound to the lantern anymore but the inhabitants here will always be at my mercy. My very name invokes fear and awe into the souls here!”

“You don’t scare me!”

“Hm, for now I suppose,” The Beast chuckles at this, as if a joke had suddenly passed between them. “The souls here don’t even know they’re dead, did you know that?”

He swallowed hard at this, flinching as The Beast buried his head in the juncture of his neck, lips ghosting over the bruise. “I…” he bit back the moan that was forming in his throat as the demon bit at it, suckling over the injury. Bastard. “Beatrice told me….this place is limbo or something.”

“Smart girl,” the demon lifted his head up, breath hitting his ear in a pleasant albeit unsettling manner. “Yes, it is true that everyone here is dead. That girl must really love her family to allow herself release.”

He frowned, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Where do you think the souls who find their way out go? Do you honestly think they just disappear into nothing? No, Young Lover, there is a heaven, and there is a hell. And neither one cares about your previous engagements in life.”

He squirmed slightly underneath The Beast’s penetrating gaze, trying to ignore the chill that ran down his spine when cold hands brushed down his body in a slow sensual manner. “What are you getting at?” he asked, teeth clenching together to keep himself under control. “You going to kill me or something?”

“If I wanted you dead, we would not be here together,” The Beast countered, rolling his eyes at question. “I would have killed you the moment you arrived in Gravity Falls.”

“Good to know,” he turned his head away from the demon. “What are you even doing?”

“You have beautiful eyes,” The Beast cupped his face in a surprisingly gentle manner, pale multicolored rings meeting his own dark gray. “All of her descendants have the same eye color, you know.”

“No, I didn’t,” he felt tempted to roll his eyes, but the look on the demon’s face made him think twice. “What is the point of all this?”

The Beast merely shook his head at the question, hands ghosting over his hips. “Out of all her grandchildren, you’re the most like her. Always asking questions; very sarcastic,” he grinned at him, sending another rush of chills down his spine. “And extremely loyal to the ones she loved. Even me, at one point.”

Wait, what? “What are you?” he never got to finish that question for a pair of lips descended on his own. A kiss full of dominance and pent up passion that he couldn’t pull away from. He didn’t respond, even though it took every part of him to restrain the urge that wanted to. The hands roamed his body with a feather light touch, and he continued to bite back the moan building in the back of his throat. His body seemed to be on edge, tingling each time he registered the touch. He closed his eyes, trying to think of anything that could prevent him from being turned on.

Dead kittens and puppies worked before in the past, although they always made him feel incessantly bad. However after the accident, there was always one image that worked. The image of Greg being turned into an Edelwood tree.

“You have no idea what I could do to you; the power I have over you,” The Beast whispered in his ear, his breath making his body shiver with desire that he did not want to feel. “You have no idea the things I have planned for you; the things I’m going to do to you.”

He vaguely registered the sounds of his jeans being unzipped, a cold hand sliding through his boxers to cup him skillfully, long fingers lightly touching his shaft. He shifted at the unexpected touch, a gasp escaping through his lips. The Beast only smiled at this. “I could let go of my composure. You’re here on The Unknown’s floor, completely at my mercy. I could have my way with you. I could rape you and you wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. I could make you forget everything and the only thing you will know is me and what I am doing to you.”

He gulped, a rush of fear mixing in with the pleasure of The Beast’s ministrations. His back arched off the ground as the demon thumbed the head of his cock with slow strokes. His whole body felt hot and for a moment, he felt tempted to throw everything away and let the demon have his way with him.

But then, his dignity came crashing down to him with a harsh slap. What was he doing? He was wasting time here with a demon that seemed hell bent on delaying his arrival back home. “St…stop!” he managed to get out, The Beast pausing in his work. “Let me go!”

“And why would I do that?”

He didn’t know why he had just chosen now to react. Perhaps it had something to do with the strange pull he felt towards the demon that interfered with the part of him that knew how to fight him. It was a never ending war in his mind, one wanting him to surrender while the other wanted him to fight. Yet, the part that wanted him to fight won out this time. The roots holding him down snapped apart when he lifted himself up, head butting the demon with enough force it should have cracked his skull. The Beast staggered back, eyes flashing with surprise at the sudden outburst of strength. It didn’t stop there, and he roundhouse kicked the demon.

He thought he had conquered the demon; victory and adrenaline mixing together. He wasn’t expecting The Beast to lunge forward at him, knocking him back to the ground and face so close to his he could feel the demon’s cold breath on his face. “You’re an insolent wretch of a boy,” the demon hissed; grip hard enough to break his harms. “Just like her, except she knew when to fight and when to run. She knew she couldn’t completely win against me.”

“She trapped you in The Unknown! I think that counts as a victory!”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. She knew it wouldn’t keep me here forever, although I do admit that I did not know that,” The Beast sneered at him, the force of his body keeping his down. “Can you imagine the look in her eye when I swore to return one day? To find the right little Liang to have for myself.”

“What…eye?”

“She was blind in her left eye, you know,” The Beast smiled cruelly at the memory. “I think a smart boy like you can guess who did that.”

He remembered the dream of her, the little girl with a scar over her unseeing left eye. The anger returned full force, stomach twisting at the thought of the demon hurting his grandmother when she was just a little girl. “Why did you do that to her? She was just a kid!”

“And you have her eyes,” The Beast ignored his question, a single finger tracing down his left eye. “It would be a shame if something had to happen to it. However, you need to be punished for that little stunt of yours earlier. Just remember, Young Lover, you brought this on yourself.”

The finger changed into a gnarled claw, and sunk down into his flesh. He let out a howling scream, hands reaching up to grasp the hand in front of his face in an attempt to stop him. The finger dug across his skin, past the flesh of his eyelid to the eyeball itself. It intentionally dug into the appendage, with his screaming only intensifying as the pain grew.

He could feel the blood trickling down his face, mixing with the tears falling out of his eyes. He could hear himself crying, sobs wracking his body as the finger finally slid down his lower eyelid and receded. He felt The Beast release him, but all he could do was curl into a ball and sob, sharp pain taking over his senses.

“You brought this on yourself,” The Beast spoke with no trace of emotion; no trace of guilt. “Just remember that, Young Lover.”

Through his pain filled haze and tears, he watched The Beast disappear in a flash of smoke. The circle was so close, so close. He didn’t know how much time he had left, but he knew he couldn’t stay here. He…he didn’t want to die here. He didn’t want to die at all, though that seemed to be an inevitable part of nature that he had encountered God knows how many times. The scissors were still in his pocket, much to his relief.

He pushed himself onto his hands and knees, blood dripping from the wound in his eye. He attempted to open it, only to collapse in pain and a few cries of pain slipped past his trembling lips. He curled into himself for a moment, hyperventilating with a few broken gasps and fresh tears. There was pain, so much pain. Was this how Wu felt when her eye had been damaged? Was this how Valentina felt when Bill stabbed her eye? He could understand now what they had been through and he didn’t wish this upon anyone.

Once again, he pushed himself to his hands and knees and crawled towards the circle. He was close to it, so close. Only a few more steps and he could be home. Back home with his mother, his step-father, Greg and Yin Wei. He couldn’t allow himself to die here; couldn’t allow his family to suffer with guilt and self-blame. He had to protect Greg. He couldn’t let Greg continue on in a world without him. He took another step, blood continuing to drip onto the grass and onto his tightly clenched knuckles. He felt light headed, and he knew he was losing a lot of blood. He felt the nausea twisting his stomach around like a pretzel.

Yet, he kept on crawling. Each step took all the willpower he had left in his body. One step, two more steps, and by the time he reached the circle, he saw nothing but darkness.

And in his last moments of consciousness, he could hear the faint calls of a woman. And through his blurry vision, he swore he saw the horrified face of a woman.

“Wirt!”

~

**(April 8, Gravity Falls Hospital, Oregon)**

“Can we see him now, Mom? Mom?”

Greg could only bite his lip as his mother stared blankly at the wall, dried tear marks evident on her face as the light caught the reflection of them. He frowned, hugging his sleeping little sister to him as a source of comfort. Sometime in the hour and a half that Wirt was in The Unknown, he had fallen asleep and someone had put him in his bed. The only reason he’d woken up was because his mother started screaming, which prompted Yin Wei to wake up from her nap and start crying, and his dad and everyone else started panicking.

He didn’t know what had happened, but there was a lot of noise and endless running about. He knew the basement door had been thrown open, his mother carrying Wirt like he was a baby and keeping something pressed over his eye. She looked so ashen, her face the palest he’d ever seen it and she kept speaking in her native language over and over again. The Hand Witch and Annie looked spooked, and the blonde girl kept twisting her hands in a nervous fashion. The Hand Witch muttered something about a beast, but he didn’t catch the rest of what she said because Wirt was more important.

He was so pale, as pale as their mother. It looked like Annie’s sweatshirt was being held over the left side of his face. He kept trying to go towards his brother, but his father kept holding him back, saying that he needed to give the older boy space. His mother, even with her deathly pale face, managed to get on the phone and call an ambulance and speak in what sounded like broken English.

It was one of the few times in his life that Greg could say he felt truly scared.

The worst part was, he didn’t even know what happened to Wirt. He knew it had something to do with The Beast; what else would have done this? But why would anyone want to hurt Wirt? He was the best older brother in the world even if he could be melodramatic and moody. He felt a few tears form in his eyes, but wiped them away with one hand. He couldn’t cry right now; Wirt would be okay. He had to be! Wirt wasn’t going to die, was he?

“Hey there, buddy,” his dad appeared next to him, taking his sister from his arms and wrapped one arm around him. “You ready to go home?”

“Home? But Wirt’s here! I…”

“Wirt needs rest,” his father reasoned, keeping his voice steady though his eyes betrayed the worry and fear. “You can see him tomorrow, I promise-“

“No!” he normally didn’t feel cranky, but he squirmed against his father’s hold. “I want to see Wirt! I have to know if he’s okay!”

“Greg!” his mother finally snapped out of her trance, narrowing her eyes at him. “Don’t speak to your father like that!”

He cowered under his mother’s sharp tone, glaring down at the floor. She placed a hand over her eyes, rubbing them as though her head hurt and came over to sit next to him, pulling him into her arms. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you,” he could feel a few more tears slip past her eyes, falling onto his hair. She kissed his head, rubbing his back gently. “Greg, Wirt’s going to be okay. The doctor said we can see him as soon as he wakes up.”

He pulled back slightly, looking at her with wide dark eyes. “When will that be?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head; watery eyes meeting his with an honest gaze. “Your big brother’s in a lot of pain right now. He’s going to need our help and support when he gets home. You think you can help your dad and I out with that? He’s going to need his little brother.”

“I’ll always help him,” he meant it; he would do anything for his big brother. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He won’t be able to see out of his left eye,” she spoke gravely, closing her eyes in a moment of grief. “The doctors say there’s a chance he might regain sight, but it’s a very slim chance.”

“He’ll get through,” he hopped off his mother’s lap, taking her worn hand into his small one, giving her the biggest smile he could. “He’s The Pilgrim! He can get through anything!”

“Xiāng ling?”

The three of them stopped talking, turning their attention to the newcomer that had arrived. He gasped in shock the same moment his mother’s jaw dropped in surprise. Mortimer Palmer stood somewhat awkwardly a few feet away from them, looking rather nervous. He looked like he had just gotten done with a meeting or dinner party, somewhat flushed like he had ran here as fast as he could.

He felt the crankiness return, remembering the last time he’d seen the man. This was the man, who hurt Wirt; did something to his older brother who wouldn’t even explain to him what happened between them. What was he doing here? He was just a jerk who only cared about his financial gain; whatever that meant. He hadn’t even seen Wirt since last summer! Why was he here?

“I thought I told you to stay away,” he suddenly stepped away from his mother, opting to lean closer to his father who just stared at Mortimer with the same cold expression. She was furious, something she didn’t get too often unless he or Wirt really made her mad, or if someone was harassing them. Like that man in the park once a few years ago. “What are you doing here, Mortimer?”

“I heard what happened,” how Mortimer knew, he hadn’t the faintest idea, but if his mother wasn’t concerned about that then he wouldn’t be either. The man didn’t look so good, whether it be from worry or the impending doom of his mother’s wrath. “Who did this to him?”

“Oh, so now you’re worried,” she spat at him, and he swore the man cowered underneath her gaze. “The last time he was in the hospital, you didn’t drop what you were doing. You didn’t even call, never sent a card or anything! Why now? Why Mortimer?”

The man looked completely lost for words, staring at her like a goldfish. She stared right back at him with a look that he better come up with an answer or than “I don’t know.” Greg swallowed, walking quietly over to where his mother stood and took her hand. He didn’t know whether or not she would push him away or snap at him, but he didn’t like her standing alone. He squeezed it, a small assurance that he was there and to his surprise, she squeezed his hand back.

“You’re right; I wasn’t there the last time. I haven’t been there for him at all and I can’t change that,” Mortimer never broke her gaze, eyes narrowing in determination as he spoke. “I…I’m not exactly sure what I did to make him upset with me the last time; I can’t seem to remember what exactly happened that day,” he noticed his mother purse her lips tightly at that as Mortimer continued to speak. “But I’m here now. I want to see him when he wakes up and God damnit, I’m going to see my son whether you like it or not. I need to speak with him; I can’t,” he paused, and for a moment Greg thought he was actually feeling remorseful. “I can’t take time for granted anymore. I can’t change the fact I’ve been a piece of crap in the place. I’m not the type of person that should be a father, but that doesn’t change the fact I am.”

To his surprise, his mother just raised her eyes to the ceiling. “Well it seems after sixteen years, you’ve finally gotten that through your thick skull,” he watched as the angry look on her face relaxed slightly, looking more guarded and cautious now. “I never thought I would hear those words coming from you.”

“Don’t expect to hear it again.”

“Oh, I don’t think you can make a statement like that again without it sounding rehearsed,” he watched as Wirt’s father made a face at her come back. She didn’t sound angry, but any time someone brought up Mortimer Palmer, it was kind of hard not to be angry at him. “The nurses will inform us when he wakes up. Do you want to sit with us till then?”

“Sure,” Mortimer nodded, and he looked back to where his father was sitting. He decided not to tell his mother the look he made when she asked that question.

“Mortimer,” his father nodded as the other man sat beside him, the nod more curt than friendly.

“David.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad Beast! Bad! *Sprays water at him* That is not how you get people to love you!
> 
> Honestly. Poor Wirt! I'm sorry my poor babu! The Beast is a jerk, well, I have a few other words to describe him but that's the most polite way I can put it. 
> 
> Really the bad guys need to write a book about getting human teenage boys and girls to love them. I would read it.
> 
> However there is something you should all know. I have The Sims 4. I also own The Sims 2 & 3 though I haven't played the latter two in a long time. And what did I do on my Sims 4 game? I made OTGW Sims. I might even post them on my tumblr if you want to see them. *Hides face in embarassment*


	25. Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt learns of his great, great- grandmother's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's another update! Not exactly a flashback; I kind of wanted to do something different. I saw Kubo and the two strings and loved it! The way Monkey's story was told inspired this chapter. It might be exposition but storytelling is such a fascinating way to explain the past. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's commented, left a kudo, and bookmarked so far! I'll update when I can! Fall break starts today so I get to go home! Wooo

_But the memories are still,_

_They're still, here, still,_

_Through the world that's far apart,_

_Farewell, farewell,_

_All the darkness I went through,_

_For you, for you,_

_For the reason I'm with you,_

_With you, with you_

_~Farewell by Zhang Yingxi~_

 

There was pain. So much pain.

In the darkness, he curled into himself as if he were a small child, to combat the ice cold air around him. Nothing but darkness could be seen for miles, only aiding the further despair that ran through his body like blood from the heart. He was so cold. Lost, cold, and knew nothing but pain. The left half of his face throbbed angrily and he cried out; a broken sob that shook his body. His cry seemed to echo throughout the darkness yet nothing came. He was lost in an endless black sea with no one to guide him; no one to help him find his way back home.

 _“I’m cold,”_ the voice in his head, a childish weak voice that whimpered around in his skull. _“I’m hurting.”_

Was there no one who could help him find his way back home? He…he remembered a woman screaming; crying out his name. Could that have been his mother? Was she in pain too? What of Greg? And Dave! Yin Wei as well, though she was just a baby who could barely walk and talk. Where they? Had they abandoned him in this cold dark place?

“ _A new day begins, the sun lights up the sky, the wind carries me, like a bird flying high, I see where to go… The flame in my heart, grows brighter with each day, though I won’t forget, the sacrifice I’ve made, I will follow my destiny…”_

There was someone singing. A calm, relaxed sounding voice with a touch of age to it. A hand stroked his back soothingly, brushing up to his hair in a manner that his mother often did when he was sick or in a mood. He instantly felt afraid, but all that melted away like winter’s snow when he recognized the song. An old song; a lullaby that his mother sang to all of them as babies. A lullaby she had learned from her father, who in turn learned it from his grandmother and so forth.

_“A new day begins, the sun lights up the sky, I fly…”_

He opened his right eye, glancing up with hazy vision to the figure. “…Mom?”

“Sorry, Walter, I am not your mother. Quite the contrary, actually.”

His vision sharpened, and he hissed slightly as warm lights suddenly illuminated the sky. Stars dotted the midnight black sky, a pale moon in the sky that appeared like a distant friend. Fire flies blinked in and out of existence, giving sight to trees and bushes that hid in the background. He could feel warmth coming from the grass and the person comforting him, ears picking up the sound of a pond that lay close by. There was no sense of danger; no threat of fear and despair that plagued his mind. He felt warm, warm and safe with the person nearby him.

Weakly, he sat up, resting his weight on his right arm as he moved into a sitting position. A woman, just as he predicted earlier, sat by his left side with a warm smile on her middle aged face. Her black hair had been tied back in a common hairstyle for her time period; dressed in a traditional hanfu colored in indigo and light blue. She appeared as any normal middle aged woman, except for the long faded pink scar running down the left side of her face. The eye looking clouded and glassy, revealing she could not see out of it.

She reached out towards him, pale hand ghosting over the injury on his face. Her face crumpled into one of grief, shaking her head as her lips pursed tightly together. “I’m sorry; he got you too,” she spoke quietly, a soft whisper that could get lost in the breeze if there were one. “He’s a wicked demon, that he is.”

“You,” he cleared his throat, face suddenly reddening at the realization. “You’re Wu! You’re my grandmother!”

“A thousand years is a long time to wait,” she nodded, the sadness temporarily replaced by one of soft happiness. “I’ve been waiting a very long time to meet you, Walter.”

“How did you know it would be me?”

“I didn’t,” she shrugged, a cascade of black hair tinged with gray falling over her shoulder. “I would not know which member of my family the bond would claim. I had been warned of consequences when I didn’t go through the right procedure of breaking the bond, but I was too stubborn to listen. Please believe me, Walter that I never intended for any of this to happen.”

He stared at her for the longest time, the wheels of his mind spinning. What was she talking about? What bond? “Bond?” he asked, voice weak and cracking. “What are you talking about?”

“I see you don’t know what that is,” she sighed, not in exasperation, but in weariness. As if the very word placed an enormous weight on her shoulders. “Think of it as a marriage, only much more sacred and dangerous if something goes wrong.”

He frowned harder at this, the realization crashing over him like a wave against the ocean. “You were bonded to The Beast?” he sputtered, scooting away from her while trying not to gag in disgust. “That’s so gross! Ew!”

She raised an eyebrow at this behavior, but didn’t scold him. Instead, she nodded calmly. “Yes, we were bonded. Of course, I didn’t know he was the fearsome Beast back then. I knew him by his true name, Cernunnos. I know it sounds strange, but if I had known at the time he was the one who caused my family grief, I would have killed him a long time ago.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I was a foolish girl,” she glared down at the ground, as if silently berating herself for her foolishness. “I had been blinded by his flattery and way with words. He used me and I didn’t even know it. It was all a game for him, and I was a stupid little girl at the time. We bonded and I thought he was the one for me.”

He couldn’t be mad at her; what was the point really? The Beast did have a way with words, considering he’d tricked the Woodsman for how many years into carrying around that lantern. The Beast had almost tricked him into carrying it, yet common sense had kicked in and the desire to protect Greg as well. If it hadn’t been for that, well, he would still be back in The Unknown wandering around in the woods for eternity. “What exactly happen?” he asked, drawing his knees into him and resting his chin. “Why did he come after you?”

“Let me tell you a story,” she waved a hand over the pond of water, the water rippling around before colors mixed together to form an image. He saw a little house, the same house he’d seen in his dream before. There was a man out in the front, fixing something and a woman feeding the chickens scattered outside. A little girl was running around, black hair coming loose from her braid as she chased the feathery birds. “Once there was a little girl who lived in a rural village in China, only a thousand years before you were born. Her father was once a soldier for the Emperor before being permanently wounded in the leg and now worked as a craftsman. Her mother had once been a powerful demon, incapable of understanding human emotions.”

He looked back at the image, watching it change. A family meal, lunch or dinner perhaps, with good food and tea. They looked happy, smiling and laughing as they talked about whatever. Wu only smiled softly at the image. “One day, long before her father had been wounded in battle, he stumbled across her. They fought, with her defeating him. He knew he had lost and it was only honorable to accept defeat, yet his last words to her were that she was a great fighter and worthy of a thousand soldiers. He thanked her for the battle and told her he would accept his death. Her mother was confused by this, since most people she had killed before begged her not to die. Why was this man different?”

“She spared his life, not realizing at the moment he’d given her one. He pursued her, wanting to know her more. She hesitated at first, deeming him a simple human until she realized he was different from all the others she’d seen and met over her years of existence. He told her about his life, his parents’ passing and his view of the world. So full of life and wonder and before she knew it, she had fallen in love. She hadn’t ever thought she was capable of such an emotion, but there it was. Yet, as ten years passed, she knew he would eventually grow old and die. The thought of never seeing him again made her terrified, something she had never felt before. She went to one of the demons in the forest, offering a deal to make her human.”

He gasped at this, yet she only watched with mild sereneness at the expression. “Let me finish,” she held a hand up, silencing the question that was forming on his lips. “Never before had a demon ever wanted to be human. To all the others, it was the worst thing that had ever been requested before. Why had Wuya, a ferocious demon who killed many humans, wanted to be human? The demon granted her request, but warned it would come with a cost. He gave her a human soul, allowing her to feel human emotions and age in the way that humans do. They married, and before too long, she gave birth to a daughter.”

“Life was peaceful,” the image returned to the one before, only this time, the girl paused at the front of the forest. “The little girl was curious for her age, with more courage than she knew she had. Her parents worried that she would get hurt; that other demons would come for her. They told her the story of how they met. Not to frighten her, but to have her be aware of the nature of her existence. Because of this, she strengthened her capacity to love, not knowing it would also one day bring her downfall.”

He watched, leaning forward as the girl continued to gaze into the trees. She backed away at a rustling sound, growing pale in fear. Her father limped towards her, a tool in hand to fight whatever was in the bushes. He almost jumped, placing a hand over his mouth as a black wolf jumped out, with bright multicolored eyes. The wolf raised a giant paw, claws scratching the left side of the girl’s face. He couldn’t hear anything, but he could only imagine the screams coming from the girl and the horror from her parents. “The girl’s mother had no powers left; no strength to fight the demon off. But she remembered warding spells to keep the demons away.”

The girl’s mother appeared, blood trinkling down a cut on her arm as she made a design on a rock. She pressed her bloodied hand to it, the demon instantly being shoved back deep in the woods. “The girl’s mother made runes all over the home. She finally realized now what the demon who’d given her mortality meant. Her daughter was a target for other demons, who thought the child’s existence to be an abomination. They warned her to never stray far from home; never to leave their sight.”

“But the demons were smart; much more clever than the small family anticipated,” the woman’s voice had taken an edgier tone, eyes like dark storm clouds. “She was a child; barely nine years old when they lured her out. She strayed too far from home, into the forest her parents warned her about. The demon was waiting for her, ready to kill her. She could only stand there, paralyzed with fear as he approached her.”

He could see the wolf, sauntering towards the little girl who stood pressed against a tree, eyes wide with fear. She opened her mouth, calling something when a man and woman appeared. The woman wrapped her arms around the girl, the man calling for them to do something. It must have been to run because the woman picked up the girl and ran away. The girl kept screaming, reaching out for her father and tears falling down her cheeks as she witness the wolf tear out his throat.

The mother kept running, keeping the girl tucked in her arms. They ran further into the forest until the woman could run no further. She set the girl down, running her hands down the girl’s face and giving her a kiss on the forehead. “The girl’s mother told her to run; run until she found a town to be safe in,” Wu spoke softly, almost in a whisper. “The girl did as her mother told her to do, only looking back once to see her mother facing the wolf with a small dagger she had hidden. She never saw her mother again after that.”

“Where did you go?” he asked, tilting his head at her curiously. “Didn’t other demons go after you?”

“Surprisingly no,” Wu shook her head, the image in the water rippling and fading once more, revealing a large home. A girl in a simple serving robe carrying a large bucket of water. “She did as her mother told her to do; finding a town and collapsing from exhaustion outside a house. The master of the house took pity on her, accepting her into his household as his adopted daughter. His own wife had died years before and his sons had wives of their own. He was a swordsman, serving the emperor until he retired.”

The water showed the girl helping around the house, scrubbing the floors and collecting water. He could see her with the man, drinking tea or meditating with her. It changed to a training room of sorts, with her barely ten years old wielding a sword with armor. “After watching her, he knew she was a special child. Even as a small child, he had seen her throw a grown man who had been bothering her one day. He knew nothing of her heritage, but he was a wise man and knew she had a gift. He taught her how to fight; how to use a sword all in the hopes she would one day use her abilities to help other people.”

“When she turned sixteen, the old man died. The sons did not like her; not understanding what was so special about her. In their father’s will, it stated that she would inherit the home and his weapons. They were outraged that she, a woman and not even related to them, should master of the estate. They challenged her to combat, and with ease, she defeated them and had them kneeling at her feet.”

It showed the girl, now a young woman. In armor and a sword, standing against grown men with more years of experience. Yet she defeated them easily, sparing their lives as long as they complied with their father’s wishes and never bothered her about it again. A young girl with wisdom in her dark gray eyes and a warrior’s stance. She would be considered beautiful if not for the long scar across her face.

“She lived alone for years, meditating and practicing her swordsmanship. She had considered taking on an apprentice yet none of the villagers wanted their sons to be trained by a woman. So she lived alone, with her arrogant adopted brothers leaving to their own estates. Out of loneliness and sadness, she went into the forest, fully prepared to find what was out there. She set up two grave markers for her parents, praying to her ancestors to watch over them.”

The young woman kneeled, hands together as she prayed silently. Behind her, a man had appeared with dark eyes and smooth parted black hair. Dressed in all black; skin as pale as death itself. He swallowed hard, knowing exactly who it was. Wu nodded solemnly, her hand finding his. “The Beast appeared to me one day, concealing his true form from my view. He challenged me, scoffing at my abilities and playing on my emotions. I grew irritated and accepted his challenge, like a fool. I should have walked away, but my pride got in my way.”

The Beast held a similar sword to her, the two of them in fighting positions. It was almost like watching a dance, the young woman mirroring the way his own mother moved when she sparred with him in their training. There was beauty in the way they moved, eyes never leaving each other’s as they twisted their bodies to avoid blows that would be fatal. If anything, it seemed like The Beast was holding back and in a moment, she knocked him to the ground with the sword to his throat. He only smiled at her, mouthing something he couldn’t hear.

“He told me I was his quest. That I was the one he’d been waiting for; that he was looking for me. I had questioned why, and he replied that he knew my mother when she’d been human. The only demon that had supported her decision. And like a grief-stricken fool, I believed him.”

The image changed to the woman and the man in the house. Sparring, cleaning, talking and spending time together. “He has a beautiful voice, a way with words that no other seemed to rival. He manipulated my feelings; had me eating right from his palm. I told him I loved him, and he told me the same. Suggesting that since I was half-demon, we could perform something even more sacred than marriage.”

“Like what?”

“While marriage is a sacred thing to mortals, a bonding ceremony is the most sacred thing to a demon. Not easily made and very dangerous to break if not done properly. It is the joining of essences; becoming not two beings but one, in a sense. Think of it as two souls fusing together. One cannot live without the other.”

The Beast was dressed in black, as usual and the young woman in a dress that he knew he’d seen before. Well, actually, he’d worn before in a dream. “I thought he wanted to kill you?” he asked, finding it odd that the demon tried to kill her as a child, yet as a young woman, he had essentially married her. “What was his purpose?”

“To this day, I’m not entirely sure. He is a complicated being, yet the more centuries that have gone by, I find myself wondering if he was acting out of his own accord, or if someone was whispering things in his ear. He told me, once I had figured out whom he was, that this was all out of a cruel twisted form of irony. That I was nothing but an amusement. That once he was done with me, he would kill me.”

“And that didn’t happen, did it?”

“No,” she shook her head and waved a hand over the water. It showed her looking in the forest; looking for him when she saw the wolf. Instead of freezing up, she reacted, sword drawn to kill it when it transformed into her husband. “You could imagine my disbelief; the shock and betrayal. How could I have married the thing that killed my parents? I confronted him there, and he only laughed and told me his plan. But there was something he hadn’t anticipated. In his own twisted way, he had fallen in love.”

“That’s gross,” he wrinkled his nose in disgust. “So why’s he after me then if he loved you?”

“I banished him from my home; from the village,” she sighed, eyes regretful for a moment. “I left him without realizing the consequences of my actions. You see, I never broke the bond so I was still attached to him. I didn’t know how to break it, so banishing him to the forest was the best I could come up with at the time. Yet, as he came to realize later on and told me, that he wasn’t in love with me. He was attracted to something in me, but it wasn’t _me._ Now that we are here, it is you. You are the one he wants.”

He rubbed his eyes, sighing loudly. “That still doesn’t explain anything-“

“Let me finish,” she held up a finger, silently reprimanding him with her gaze. “Now I didn’t realize this until after my death; after doing much research in my afterlife. There was a demon, you know him as Bill Cipher, who had cast out a mark to find his soul mate and with you, it is a similar case. Now the reason you are attracted to that bastard, no matter how much you deny it, but you were made specifically for him.”

“WHAT? THAT’S CRAZY!”

“It’s confusing; I know. It took me a long time to understand it myself,” she frowned, worry and regret in her dark eyes. “But this was all predestined. The one reason that Wuya was born so was that she could become human; to start the bloodline that would eventually lead to your creation. Not that The Beast knew this at the time, but you were meant to exist. Your existence was for him. That’s why when he saw you; he knew you were for him.”

He could only stare at her, blinking like an owl as she sat there calmly, letting him take the information in. How on earth was he going to process this? That his entire reason for existing was for some demon that tried to kill him; that he belonged with him despite how twisted it was and how morally wrong it made him feel. “It’s in our blood; the reason I was never able to destroy him. How our family is never able to truly destroy him. If only my mother knew…I wonder what she would have done if she knew.”

He pushed the thoughts aside, biting his lip. “Why did you bind him to the lantern? What happened?”

“I eventually moved on with my life. I fell in love again, with a man in the village whom I had known since I arrived as a child. A kind man; a gentle man. I wondered for a long time how I had never really noticed him before but once we spoke, I felt a connection I didn’t think I could feel again. We married that following spring and before I knew it, I was with child. The following winter, I gave birth to a boy. Our son, Bolin.”

He stared into the water at a man and a woman taking a walk in the village garden, a boy ahead of them chasing after some insect; a dragonfly with a large grin on his face. He smiled suddenly at the picture, the child reminding him of Greg. Maybe the same smile was genetically passed down as well? The man in the image stopped, pressing a hand to the woman’s stomach. “I was with child again,” she smiled wanly, a lingering sadness in her eyes. “Five months into my pregnancy with a girl. My son was quite the kicker but my girl was gentle. We were happy; everything was peaceful until that day.”

They were back at the house, the woman tending to the laundry while the boy played with a wooden sword. He stopped suddenly, something catching his attention. He ran towards it, dropping the sword with a loud falling sound that alerted his mother, seeing as she looked up from the washing. Her eyes widened and she ran after the boy with a dagger in her hand. The thing that had caught the boy’s attention, a puppy of all things, changed into that massive wolf. The boy let out a scream, attempting to run away when the wolf’s teeth grabbed him by the shirt.

He watched as the woman jumped on the wolf, stabbing him repeatedly with a dagger. The wolf let go, steam rising from his wounds as he retreated back into the forest. He had knocked Wu off him, where she landed violently against a jagged rock. “I lost the baby,” she murmured. “And after that violent miscarriage, the doctors told me I would never be able to conceive another child.”

“I… I’m so sorry.”

He watched intently as the scene changed, the landscape changing from day to night. Wu walked into the forest, a lantern in her hand and a knife. “I had a dream the night before; my mother appearing in it,” she said gravely, a solemn tone that made the hairs on his neck rise. “She told me I could bind him to something; something he’d need to keep sustained if he wanted to live. Then she gave me a spell that would only ever work once on a demon; to seal him away for a long time.”

He witnessed the way she slid the knife across her arm, the blood trailing down her pale flesh. She did markings on the lantern with her blood, chanting something that made them glow with luminescent silver light. The Beast appeared before her, his shadow like form large and intimidating. Yet she did not cower once. Hate and sadness in her eyes as she continued chanting, avoiding the roots and vines he sent in her direction. Around them, the forest seemed to shift and shake around them. A hole opened up in the ground, sucking up things around them. It pulled him in, his gnarled fingers dragging across the earth as he screamed and shouted things at her. She only looked at him coldly, watching as a silver light burst out of his body and into the lantern. He reached for it, as if knowing his own soul had been placed inside.

“I told him he was bound to this lantern, that he would never be free from it,” she silenced him once more as he opened his mouth to correct her. “I knew it wouldn’t be permanent, but I couldn’t let him. It only kept him locked away for a thousand years.”

“What happened next?”

“I created the oracle bones,” the water shifted to his grandmother writing something on the shoulder bones of a cow, the ink brush being written quickly. I fought other demons and monsters in the meantime, killing or trapping them. Witches were different; harder to defeat. Not all of them were evil, but the ones I had violent encounters were followers of The Beast. Especially their leader, Adelaide, a European witch. Your great, great-grandmother, Zhou, defeated her in the fifteenth century.”

“And your son, Bolin?”

“After the miscarriage, he gained abilities. The same ones I had after I witness my parents’ murders. I realized our abilities only manifest after something truly traumatic. I called it the Awakening process. Your mother had it when she saw her mother killed and your step-father nearly choked to death. And you Awakened when you confronted The Beast; fully realizing your own darkness and the world around you. It’s not pleasant, but it happens to everyone in our family. It’s our curse.”

“I won’t let it happen to Greg or Yin Wei!” he shot out, barely even imagining the thought of his little brother and sister having powers like his. He didn’t want that; he didn’t want them to have that burden. It wasn’t right, nor was it very fair. Why should they have to have it? “Greg’s just a kid and Yin Wei is barely a year old.”

“Then you must stop him. Stop them. I’m afraid there is more going on than you know. I don’t think it’s just the demons you need to worry about,” she stood up, with him following closely behind. “I believe there is something, maybe someone, pulling the strings behind this. Be careful, Walter.”

“I will.”

“You must,” she pressed on, eyes narrowing as the imagery around them faded. There was nothing but darkness once more, cold and enveloping them like a blanket. “Or there will be no hope for the future. Take care!”

And all at once, she was gone and he was falling, further and further into the abyss.

~

“MOM! MOM! HE’S WAKING UP! MOOOOMMMM!”

The darkness faded from his eyes, being replaced by the blinding whiteness of the ceiling above him. All at once the pain returned. He slowly moved in the soft thing, (a bed?) he was laying and gingerly placed a hand over his left eye. A bandage, wrapped by gauze and other things had been tapped over his eye and he grimaced, the painful reminder making his stomach twist like a pretzel.

In the haziness, he could see everyone staring at him. Greg was right next to him, sitting on the edge of his bed with his mother hovering nearby with Yin Wei sitting on her hip sucking on her little thumb. His step-father was next to her, with dark circles under his eyes that reminded him of a raccoon with no sleep.

Okay, so maybe that was a little harsh. It looked as if the man was genuinely concerned for him, which made him feel guilty all over again. “Ow,” he grumbled, continuing to sit up further in his bed, attempting a smile. “I feel like a pirate.”

He instantly let out a disgruntled noise when Greg wrapped his little arms around him, burrowing his face in his stomach. “I thought you were gone for good!” the boy sniffed, releasing momentarily to look up at him with tear filled eyes. Oh God, he hated it when Greg cried. The very sight of him crying alone made him want to start crying. “I thought that mean old Beast had gotten you and taken you away from us!”

Ugh, he really didn’t want to think about that and how the demon probably intended for him to be his demon tree wife or something. He shivered at the thought, subconsciously tightening his hold on his brother. “It’s okay, Greg. I’m okay,” well, mostly okay. He had no idea how bad his eye was. All he remembered was returning back and hearing his mother scream. “I’m going to be okay, I promise. I’m just glad I made it back.”

Another pair of arms wrapped around him from the side, the scent of his mother’s shampoo strong against his nose. “I’m sorry, Wirt. I’m so sorry. I…I thought you had left us for good back there.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” he twisted his body awkwardly to hug her back, Greg’s arms still around him. Dave smiled a watery smile at him, Yin Wei staring at him as he held her. She would have no memory of this; no memory of what happened to him. He felt glad about that, though it felt confusing enough. She didn’t have to shoulder this burden.

Yet she would shoulder the burden of their curse. Greg as well. It was too late for him; too late for their mother. He couldn’t let them Awaken; he just couldn’t have that happen.  “Where are the scissors?” he asked, pulling away from her. “What happened to them?”

“I gave them to Ford; he has them in the bunker,” she nodded her head, pushing a curtain of hair back. “He, Mabel and Stan dropped by earlier-“

“Mabel?”

“She was here,” she pointed towards the fresh flowers and the get well card on the table next to him. “Poor girl looked horrified when I told her what happened. She promised to stop by later to see you. I think this is the first time in months she’s left the shack.”

“Wow,” he really didn’t know what to say about that. None of them knew what to do about Dipper; even Ford was at a lost. The dimension machine had been destroyed; the blue prints now belonging to the government. Stan, Ford, and Mabel had been researching where he might be relentlessly but it seemed like the boy had vanished from the earth. Possibly this realm. With a lot different dimensions, they didn’t have the luxury to look through all of them.

It was that fact that broke Mabel’s heart.

“Wirt?”

He stiffened at a voice that sounded through the small room. In the doorway, a tall man with neat dark brown hair stood awkwardly at the edge. His father pursed his lips, almost cowering away from his mother’s hard stare. “Is it alright if I come in?”

“Y…yeah,” would he ever stop acting so awkwardly around his dad? “Come…come on in.”

“We’ll wait outside,” his mother took Greg by the hand, pulling him off the bed gently. “Come along Greg, we can chat with Wirt later.”

“But Mom…”

“Come on, let’s go get food. Are you hungry?”

Their conversation drifted away, leaving him sitting on the bed trying to avoid his father’s gaze. His father stepped in, standing at the foot of his bed with his hands in the pockets of his dark gray slacks. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t been sleeping. “I haven’t been in a hospital for a long time,” he cleared his throat, looking away momentarily. “Not since the day you were born. Your mom had been in the hospital since that evening.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

He hadn’t meant for that to come out as snide and his face reddened in embarrassment as his father flinched. The man pulled up one of the white metal chairs, the legs scratching against the floor. He sat down, looking at his hands for a moment. “I’ve been here since last night. Ruby, my intern, told me what happened. How…how are you feeling?”

This was just weird; since when did his father care? “I’m fine,” he lied, trying to ignore the throbbing pain behind his eye. It burned uncomfortably, like the finger that destroyed it was still wiggling around. “I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie,” the older man seemed to plead, eyes finally looking up at his one good eye. “You don’t have to; I care about-“

“Since when have you ever cared?” he snapped, narrowing his one eye. “Where were you almost two years ago when Greg and I almost died? Where were you? Where were you all those Christmases and birthdays? Did you really think the occasional phone call and posters would suffice? I needed you; I wanted you to care! What an idiot I was thinking you actually lov…actually cared about me! If you’re just here to look the part of supportive father, get out and don’t ever come back!”

For a moment, his father was silent. He leaned back in his bed, trying to control the throbbing anger that seemed to flow through his veins. Everything hurt. Not just his eye, but his whole physical and emotional self-seemed to be in pain. Then there was his father, only adding onto the pain. Why did everyone who came into his life seem to insist on making him hurt? Why did he have to go through so much pain? He just wanted it to stop; for everything to go away.

“You’re absolutely right,” his father sighed, running a face down his hand. The same hand reached forward, taking his. “I have never been there for you. I never wanted to be a father, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am one. I’m sorry, Walter, I really am. You deserve better than me; David is a much better role model than me. All I’ve ever done is take time for granted. You’re almost an adult now; you don’t really need me. I’m sorry you never did.

“Of course I needed you! You’re my dad. Dave is my _step-dad_ and as much as I like him, _you_ are my dad. As you just said, nothing can change that,” he pursed his lips in thought, trying to ignore the tears stinging in his eye. “I just wish… we could go back.”

“We can’t,” his father shook his head solemnly, regret shining in his eyes. “I can’t change the past, Walter. I can’t change the fact I have earned worst father of the year award. I…I didn’t tell your mother this, but last year I found out I had early stage of throat cancer and though I had surgery to get it fixed, it was such a scare. What if I had let the symptoms continue? What would have happened? It might seem like such a small thing; that it could have been worse but it terrified me. I didn’t want to die and have you think I didn’t care.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? Why not Mom?”

“Would either of you have cared?” his father snorted, shaking his head. “I’m not a huge part of your lives. I probably bring up some pain in your mother if you mention me and since we haven’t been close, I didn’t think it would make much difference to you.”

“We would care!” he didn’t know why he was being so pushy on this, though the thought of his father having cancer, albeit an early form of it, made his insides twist. “Unlike you, Mom and I care. Well, I can’t really speak for Mom, but I think she would want to know. You were a part of her life at one point. As for me, I never once stopped caring. Do you know how many times I wanted you in my life? Wishing you were here?”

“It was best that I wasn’t,” his father nodded, agreeing with himself. “I know it must have hurt you; God knows your mother resents me for it, but you probably would have hated me if I remained in your when you were little. Now that you’re older, I don’t know if it’s too late. If it is, I’m sorry.”

“Dad-“

“Really, Walter,” the man stood up, wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace, enough that the remains of his cologne tickled his nose. “I am sorry. I can’t take back what I’ve done, but if you want to start over, I’d like that. If not, then I’ll leave. But, I want you to know that I love you. I love you, Wirt. I always have, even if I had a crappy way of showing it.”

He couldn’t recall ever really being hugged by his father. Sure he’d received awkward, one sided ones but never a hug like this. He felt the sob in the back of his throat, wrapping his arms around his father tightly as tears fell down his face. He was a mess; his whole life was a mess. He didn’t know how to fix it or even where to begin but for now, just being held was nice.

~

Mortimer Palmer was many things, but a good father was not one of them.

He stood in the hallway of the hospital, contemplating on what to do next. His apartment in Salem was already set up, ready for him to start unpacking yet he felt compelled to stay in the small hick town of Gravity Falls. He looked at his phone distractedly, reading different emails from co-workers and his bosses. Any sort of distraction was welcome yet it seemed futile. He couldn’t get Wirt out of his head.

He had been doing some late work at in his new office when Ruby came in, saying that his son was in the hospital. He had immediately gotten into his car and drove to the town, not really knowing what urged him to go to the hospital.

He frowned bitterly. No, he knew why he had to go. He hadn’t spoken to Wirt in months, not after what happened the last time. Actually, he wasn’t quite sure what he had said or done to make Wirt not want to talk to him; something that made his ex-wife furious enough to tell him to never call or come over again. It must have been bad or else they wouldn’t be in this position now. Not that his actions in the past helped matters much either. If there was a mug that said worst father of the year, he’d have probably earned it by now.

He remembered the morning Wirt had been born. He had walked back in the room after a phone call; his now ex-wife holding him while the baby stared sleepily up at her with dark, calm eyes. She immediately placed him in her arms, saying that she was tired and that he needed to hold his son. A tiny little thing he was, with soft dark brown hair that felt like fluff against his hand. The second he was placed in his arms, he started crying.

It was then he decided he was not cut out for parenting.

He was a combination of the two of them. With his nose and hair, and height now that he was older. With his mother’s facial structure and eyes, he was a beautiful child growing up. Many of his female coworkers fawned over him when he brought him to work occasionally. A shy boy, mild mannered in front of him and eager to please. He behaved like a mini adult around him, desperate to please him and not make him made. Around his mother, he behaved more like a child, innocent and carefree.

Then the divorce happened and the boy disappeared from his life. His own doing; he knew it was his own fault that he and his son didn’t have a close relationship. He watched him from afar as he grew older and into his teen years, he decided that maybe then it would be a good idea to form a relationship.

What an arrogant thing to think. The seeds of hurt and resentment had been planted long ago. Many children would have pushed their parent away at this point but not Wirt. They still had a long way to go, he knew that, but the boy’s forgiveness was refreshing. They could start over. There was still time. He didn’t want to fail him now.

In his pocket, he felt the object tucked away. A family heirloom, given to him by his father and his father before him. Tow double mirrors enclosed in gold and silver casing that always felt reassuring to the touch. It was a strange heirloom to give but he found that he didn’t entirely mind.

“Hello there. Mr. Palmer, is it?”

His attention turned to the voice directed to him. A man, a few inches taller than himself smiled pleasantly at him. Wearing a black suit that looked more expensive than the clothes he wore and skin so strikingly pale he looked like a corpse. A medical condition, perhaps? His hair was smoothly parted, a dark sandy blonde that looked well taken care of. His eyes were startling though. Beautiful, but an odd shade of pale gray that seemed to draw people in.

“Yes,” he answered, smiling politely. “Can I help you?”

“My name is Dante Blackwood. And I have a proposition for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's all for now! I'm off to lunch!


	26. World falls away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Morrigan is finally released.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, we are four chapters away from being finished! The next two chapters are going to be hell to write but I can't wait! Midterms are finally done and I hope to have this story finished before December. But, who knows what will happen! I am going to fuck up your emotions so badly by the end. I'd apologize, but I think it would be a bit redundant.

_As the world falls away,_

_And I can't find a reason,_

_As the sky turns to gray,_

_You're killing me, unwillingly,_

_And I am just the same as you_

_~World falls away by Seether~_

**(May 2, Gravity Falls Forest)**

The Morrigan had been around since the beginning of time.

Of course, she hadn’t always gone by that name; it was a title the mortals had given her and for some reason, it seemed to stick. In the past, she had gone by many names: Mother of all, The Destroyer, Death bringer, and even the Witch of Endor. Yet not many had the privilege of knowing her true name, Zephaniah. Not even her children, vicious beings that they were, knew her name. They knew to be afraid; to air on the side of caution around her. If she devoured one of her children, she would not care. Food was food, after all.

Yet, her time in this world was waning. She knew what her oldest children had planned, the goal they were trying to accomplish. She had known this time would come eons before their births. She had made peace a long time ago with being a casualty in their little fight with the humans and now, she reveled in the prospect of what was to come.

An ancient being, she was, but not the eldest. Much older beings than herself were locked away or sleeping soundly in their realms. Even as she slept, finally consuming that last of the little girl’s soul she’d been eating, she knew not of what was to come after her death. She pondered briefly if her husband was in contact with her children, or vice versa, if they were in contact with him.

Her lips curled cruelly at the thought. They had more in common with the humani than they thought. Like all children, they were eager to please. Especially when it came to their father, wretched creature that he was.

Her demise would be swift; she probably wouldn’t even feel it. She had seen her life play out eons on ago and she had accepted all of it. Her grandson, the one who would destroy her, had no inkling of an idea of what was to befall him. He knew not of the prophecy, though that wouldn’t be his fault. Not many knew; and even now her children scoffed at the idea of one. Not that she blamed them either; prophecies were thrown around so often that not many took them seriously.

Of course she knew what it was. Her grandson most likely knew now that his existence had been predetermined; that he was made for her son. It almost made her want to laugh except she was too tired to do so right now. The little girl’s soul had been quite fulfilling despite her tender age. Those witches certainly knew how to pick them.

If only they knew they were just pawns to her son. Humani, immortal or mortal, were all expendable. That was the one common trait they shared.

“What are we doing here? She’s already been fed.”

She could see her oldest son standing in front of her, no sign of fear on his face. He was in a human disguise, as was Bill, her second oldest who stood not too far away. A couple of witches stood next to her oldest, both with confusion on their faces. She had to grin at this. Did they truly not know what the final step was in releasing her from this horrid prison?

“The Morrigan is our mother,” her oldest son, though to his brothers and sisters, he was known as Cernunnos, spoke with a smooth tone. Not a bit of hesitance or worry in his voice. “One of the first beings to ever appear on this planet. Our mother and our destroyer. She is known to the humans as a goddess of death, you know.”

“Yes,” the quite pretty blonde witch spoke respectfully, out of fear of angering her son, more than likely. “I am well aware of the origin of this creature.”

Creature? What a disrespectful little wretch this woman was.

“For the past year we’ve been feeding out dear mother,” Bill cut in and she inwardly smiled at him. He was her favorite son, after all. The most entertaining one out of all her children; the most memorable. With her oldest son following closely behind, of course. Wuya had originally been her favorite daughter but once she turned human, that spot went to Belinda, the infamous Queen of the Clouds.

“And while we have appreciated your time and diligence in getting her ready,” her oldest son rested his pale hands on the woman’s small shoulders. “Salome, your services are no longer required.”

“What?!”

“I’m sorry,” Cernunnos didn’t sound sorry at all, no, his grin was much too wide for that. The witch next to the blonde merely smirked, not even speaking up for her coven matriarch. “But you see, the final step we need for fully reviving our mother is the soul of a witch.”

Salome, if that was even her real name, looked absolutely shocked. “Si…sir,” she stuttered, absolute fear on her face. “Wh…why me? Why not one of the others? I have been loyal to you! Served you for centuries!”

“We need a powerful witch,” Cernunnos crooned, a hand reaching up to stroke her cheek affectionately. “And who better than the supreme witch? Your sacrifice will not be dishonored, if that is what you are worried about.”

“But-“

“You’ve outlived your usefulness,” his voice dropped several octaves, a sound so low no humani could ever mimic. “Since you have no more use for me, you are better off gone. You did your part beautifully. Now take a bow.”

She didn’t even have time to scream as he pushed her forcefully towards her. She screamed the second her talons wrapped around her, crushing into her stomach. Oh, her blood smelled so nice. Powerful too. She could feel her magic, the very life force keeping her alive. It would not take long to devour this one. Witches never did.

She felt more…alive. It was true that the more she consumed, the stronger she felt, but this was an adrenaline boost. The woman’s magic was ancient; powerful. Nothing like she had ever consumed in her life. The screams merely brushed by her as she consumed her, teeth sinking into her soft flesh to take her life force. Even after her physical body was eaten away, her soul would still feel it. She would feel it till the very last of her life force was consumed.

“Ruby,” she heard her son turn towards the little dark haired witch, a girl who barely looked past the age of fourteen. “Congregations. You’ve been promoted.”

“Thank you, sir,” the girl bowed, kneeling down to one knee. “I humbly thank you for your blessing.”

She could care less about the little witch. She just continued to consume the blonde witch, peering into her mind. Such a callous woman; full of malicious intent and selfishness. Human qualities that were so delicious to devour. She could see into her memories. How pitiful this woman was. At one point she truly had loved the man she conceived a daughter with. How careless of her to throw that away. Though she supposed she could sympathize with her. At one point she had truly loved her husband. Until he ordered their children to lock her away, that is.

But it didn’t matter now. She could feel the chains holding her down rust away. She was free. Finally free.

And she wanted to feed one last time.

~

**(May 2, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“So, I can give you one of my eye patches, if you want. We can be twins.”

He couldn’t help but give a slight smile at Valentina’s joke, tenderly touching the gauze that was still over his left eye. He could take it off if he wanted but he didn’t have the heart. He didn’t think he wanted to see the damage that damn Beast had caused.

He had just returned home yesterday, relieved he could sleep in his own bed once more. Hospital beds were extremely uncomfortable in his opinion, though he supposed he couldn’t exactly complain after all the medicine and care the doctors and nurses had given him. His friends had visited him daily, giving him the daily gossip and events going around town. Even Mabel had appeared a few times, much different from her usual self. Quieter, less enthusiastic. She had lost weight, her face appearing hollowed and purple bags were evident underneath her eyes. From what Stan and Ford had confided in him, she finally started leaving the house. Disappearing for hours on end to do research; to find a way to get her brother back.

Yet, nothing was working.

The two girls had showed up not more than fifteen minutes ago, school letting out for the day. He found himself missing the mundane building; missing the normalcy of it all. He had been excused the rest of the school year, all his teachers passing him and wishing him well before they saw him that coming fall.  

“See, if we wear matching eye patches, we can even be pirates this Halloween. You down for that?”

“Val…”

“It was just a joke, Annie,” the girl rolled her dark eyes, stretching awkwardly to pat her girlfriend’s arm seeing as she was sitting on the couch. She looked at him, removing the hand from Annie’s arm and waving it in front of his face. “Wirt? Are you there? You didn’t leave us, did you?”

“Oh, no,” he shook his head, a light blush dancing across his cheeks. They didn’t seem to believe him, eyes, (well, in Valentina’s case, eye) looking at him with disbelief. “I’m serious, I’m listening. Pirates. Yes, that could be, uh, fun?”

“Just trying to lighten the mood,” the brunette sighed, other hand running through her dark hair. “Anyway, besides your little trip to…limbo; have you seen any sight of Bill?”

He frowned at that, shaking his head. He hadn’t even given the triangle freak much thought, considering the demon had no interest in him. Not a day went by that he didn’t think about Dipper; about what was happening to him. The fact that made his stomach churn was the fact that there wasn’t anything he could do. “I haven’t seen him,” he notice her frown darken, teeth biting down on her lower lip. “I haven’t seen The Beast either.”

The living room went silent, the three of them looking at random things in the room. From the basement, he could hear Greg chatting enthusiastically with their mother, something about a love movie they had recently watched. In the playpen nearby, Yin Wei played quietly with her toys occasionally using the words she had recently learned. His step-father was out cleaning the yard, and his own father was supposed to visit sometime in the afternoon. Though a part of him wanted to doubt the older man would show.

It just seemed too good to be true. He finally got what he’d been wanting all his life: attention from his father and now, here he was coming to visit. All of it was strange, really. The past three weeks were ominously quiet and from what his mother and step-father reported, it seemed everyone town was beginning to notice.

A stand still. The calm before the storm.

“Do any of you find it strange?”

He and Valentina both locked eyes with Annie, who had been quiet for most of the visit. She had remained her position of leaning up against the couch, arms crossed and face relaxed. Except for now, with the way her eyebrows were knit in concentration. “What do you mean?” he asked, Valentina nodding in silent agreement.

“It’s just odd,” she spoke softly, almost as if she were afraid of someone overhearing them. “How we have all the objects and the demons and witches have none.”

“So what?” Valentina shrugged, head tilted curiously. “It just means we’re closer to getting rid of them.”

“No,” Annie only frowned harder. “It’s too easy. This has all been, for the most part, too easy. You can’t really think they’d just willingly let us win.”

He felt his stomach twist. “Maybe,” he paused for a moment, reflecting back to all the times they’d gotten ahold of any object. “It’s not like I haven’t thought about it. Hell, The Beast handed over quite a few of them to me. And at the auction, Bill just _let_ us have the Vessel of Lust. Without even giving much of a fight.”

“See?” Annie uncrossed her arms, stepping away from the couch to come around and sit next to the other girl. “Even Matilda agrees with me. We may be missing one object, but something isn’t right about any of this. I think we’re being played.”

“And what do you want to do about that?”

She just sighed, head dropping slightly in defeat. “I don’t really know,” she murmured. “I may have some knowledge of magic, but I don’t know what to do.”

He opened his mouth to reply to that statement, but nothing came out. He was at a loss for what to do, which terrified him more than he would admit out loud. Normally, everything just came to him all at once. How to handle things; how to fight. It had become a second nature to him that he was slowly beginning to accept. Yet now, he couldn’t think of what to do. The Vessel of Pride still had to be found; though he instinctively had a feeling he knew where it was; who had it. Yet, there was nothing.

“What if-“ Valentina began, yet when she spoke, something cut her off.

He felt it, stomach tightening with pain as he felt it. A wave of something that made him want to curl up and die. He knew what this was, and he knew it couldn’t be good. Evil. Pure evil and malicious intentions. He could feel it run down his body, crushing every single good feeling in him. He thought he knew what evil was; with how many times he’d encountered The Beast and Bill; the witches even. But this was different. This felt…older, if that made any sense. Primordial, something he’d never come across before.

The sunlight that had been pouring through was gone. He blinked, the sound of his sister crying breaking him from his stupor. He rushed to her, scooping her up in her arms as her face squelched up with tears. “Oh my God,” he could hardly speak, eyes widening as he stared out the window.

The sun seemed to have disappeared, ominous darkness covering the sky as though a heavy thunderstorm rolled on in. Yet, there was no rain. Only a heavy evil force that seemed to weigh down on his bones. Even his sister, only a year old, could feel it.

The two girls appeared next to him, eyes as wide as his. The darkness outside seemed almost impossible to see through, people who were outside looking at the forest in alarm. Why the forest? Was there something in there? From his peripheral vision, he could see Annie clutching her tattooed arm in pain, her teeth grinding.

“There’s something out there,” Valentina hissed, touching her covered eye. “You guys can feel it, right?”

“Yeah,” he held his sister a little tighter. “We should go check it out.”

The front door opened, Dave rushing in and slamming it shut. “Do you guys see that?” the older man asked, face unusually pale. “What in God’s name is that?”

The door to the basement burst open, his mother and brother rushing in. His mother had two swords strapped to her back and one in her hand, hair in a messy ponytail. “Greg, take your sister and go with your father to Ford’s bunker.”

“But Mom-“

“Go!” she snapped, Dave taking the boy’s hand without even questioning his wife. The boy stared at her, his face morphing into an expression he didn’t see very often. Greg was scared. His normally enthusiastic and optimistic brother was scared. His mother knelt down, staring at her youngest son firmly. “Greg, I can’t have you out there. If you follow us, you’ll be in danger and I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you. You need to protect your sister.”

“Like a good leader?”

“Like a very good leader,” she nodded, smoothing his hair gently. “Do you think you can do that? Can you be brave and look after your father and sister? And Mort, too.”

He hadn’t even realized his father was here until he glanced out the window to see his father standing outside his car, looking at the darkness with absolute confusion on his face. “I can do it,” Greg nodded, staring up at their mother with wide eyes. “I can be a good leader. I’ll protect them!”

“That’s a good boy. Now go!” she set the sword in her hands down, pulling Dave in for a kiss. He kissed her back just as passionately, tightening his grip on her. He had to look away for a moment, red dusting his face at the blunt display of affection. The second she released his step-father, he heard the words she whispered to him. “Look after them, make sure nothing happens. Please be careful, Dave. I love you!”

“I love you too,” he kissed her once more before taking Greg by the hand. “Come on, Greg, we have to go!”

“What about Wirt?”

He felt his mother’s eyes land on him, their eyes locking. Her thoughts were one with him, everything becoming clear as crystal. “He’s coming with me. We’re going to defeat The Morrigan.”

“The what?” Valentina raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?

“The Mother of all Demons. Our great, great, grandmother apparently,” his mother turned to the two girls, taking the sword that had been set down and handing it to Valentina. “We could use all the help we can get. Are you two up to it?”

“Why not” the girl took the sword, holding it with expertise and a smirk on her face. “You coming Annie? Not going to be a chicken, are you?”

“Please. You’d die without me there to save your ass.”

He turned his attention away from them the second they squeezed hands, looking to his mother. “Why is the Mother of Demons here?” he asked her, taking the sword she handed him. “Who released him?”

“Who do you think?” she asked and he didn’t even bother to answer. He knew exactly who it was.

He just didn’t think this would all start now. He wasn’t even sure if he was ready to confront the Mother of all.

Yet he followed his mother out the door, into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's all for now! Next chappie will be much, much, much, more eventful.
> 
> Also, does anyone know what is up with clown sightings? I swore I saw one the other day...


	27. Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, you have no idea how long it took to write this. I'm mostly satisfied with how it turned out and now I'm over hear crying because I know what's coming next. We only have three chapters to go! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've started this and I'm almost done with the first half of the story. I'm so pumped to put out the first chapter of the second installment but we must finish this one first.
> 
> I'm seriously going to miss working on this one. I don't know, I always feel kind of bittersweet when a story's done. Do any of you feel that way? We grow so attached to them; we work hard on them and then when they're done, that's it. It's over. Unless there's a sequel, it's not completely over. There's going to be two more installments after this one!
> 
> So without further ado, enjoy the chapter that will hopefully break your hearts and want to throw pitchforks at me! Would any of you like comfort food? I have chocolate cake here!

_They send me a way to find them a fortune,_

_A chest filled with diamonds and gold,_

_The house was awake with shadows and monsters,_

_The hallways they echoed and groaned,_

_I sat alone in bed till the morning,_

_I'm crying "they're coming for me,"_

_And I tried to hold these secrets inside me,_

_My mind's like a deadly disease_

_~Control by Halsey~_

**(May 2, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

“What is this place? Does he the government know about this?”

Mortimer sounded completely astonished, with a hint of what Wirt called a “vague criticism.” Dark gray eyes shifted away from the tall man to his own father, who was leading them down the stairs from the vending machine in the gift shop. He had expected the Grunkles and Mabel would join them in the dark place where the old portal lay hidden but they didn’t. They grabbed whatever weapons they could so they could begin to evacuate the citizens of Gravity Falls.

He hugged Jason closer to him, closing his eyes for a moment and inhaling slowly, calmly. He hoped nothing would happen to Katia and his other friends who lived in the neighborhood nearby. He knew that he had to stay in the bunker to take care of his father, sister and Wirt’s father but he would do anything to join his mother and brother in the town. What if they got hurt? What if that scary old bird lady ate them?

“Hey there buddy,” his father knelt down to his eye level, Yin Wei laying her head down on the man’s shoulder sleepily. “Don’t be scared. We’ll be safe here; I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“But what about Mom and Wirt?” he asked, noticing Mortimer flinch at the mention of his older brother. “We should be out there helping them!”

“No, we should stay out of their way,” his father’s voice was firm, a tone he used when he was in trouble or had done something wrong and didn’t know it. Hazel eyes looked into his calmly but he could see past the composure. His Dad was just as worried as he was. “I don’t know how to use a sword and neither do you. And if we were out there, who would look after your sister?”

He opened his mouth to say that Mortimer could look after her but decided against it at the last minute. He barely knew the man; didn’t trust him at all to be perfectly honest. He didn’t want some guy who hurt Wirt in the past to be around his little sister. “Okay,” he sighed once more, nodding solemnly in agreement. “I understand, Dad.”

“Thank you,” his father smiled thinly before standing to his full height and looking to Mortimer in politeness. “You’re not thinking about leaving, are you?”

“You expect me to stay here in this place?” Mortimer gestured around him, waving a hand around to encompass the entire place. “My son is out there! Fighting a bird or whatever that thing is. How is it that I didn’t know about this? What is going on?”

He looked from his father to Mortimer, Jason still in his arms as the atmosphere tensed even more. “Is it really that surprising that Xiāng ling never told you? You were more married to your work than you were to her. ”

He frowned at this. He had never heard his father talk like this before; it was weird hearing such a sharp tone coming from his voice. He swore on his lucky star that he looked a bit angry, no, defensive. Mortimer looked to him, eye brow raised in a manner that reminded of Wirt. “Just what are you getting at, David?” he asked in a cool tone with just the barest hint of irritation. “That I don’t need to know what’s going on?”

“Not at all,” his dad adjusted Yin Wei, not seeming to notice for a moment the annoyed sound that came out of her mouth. “I’m just saying it’s not surprising. I’ve known about Xiāng ling’s family legacy since I was a child; when she saved my life. From what she told me, it never sounded like you never bothered to listen to her.”

“So you think you’re better than me,” Mortimer sneered at him, fist tightening at his side. “You think you’re just so special but as I recall, you two fell out of contact in college. If you two had such a close connection, you would have contacted her more. You seem to forget that she _chose me_ first, not you.”

He shifted uncomfortably, Jason croaking in agreement. For the longest time his dad just stared at Mortimer, the same way Stan Pines looked at someone when he wanted to hit someone. Like the cashier at the grocery store who was looking at Mabel the same way Wirt use to look at Sara. Grownups, he decided, he would never figure out.

“Dad,” he tugged on his father’s sleeve. “We should go. You can punch Mort _after_ Mom and Wirt save the day!”

“How dare you-“

“You’re right, Greg,” his father interrupted Mortimer, shooting him a quick glare. “We don’t have time for this right now. Let’s go!”

As they descended further into the bunker, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He tried to think positively yet it was still there, a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. None of what was going on was right. He kept trying to push it away, shaking his body a little as if he were trying to shake off rain. Yet the thought continued to persist its way through. He knew his father could feel it; he could see it in his eyes. It lingered there, a flicker of worry that shone in his hazel eyes.

He glanced back to Mortimer, who was insistent on walking like a turtle. He kept checking something in his pocket, a piece of paper or something white that lay clutched in between two fingers. The way he looked at it, with a deep amount of consideration and doubt. Like there was something important on that paper; something that was affecting him greatly.

“Come on, Mort,” he called towards the man, hands on his small hips. “Quit being a slow poke!”

“I’m on my way,” the older man immediately stuffed whatever was in his hand into his pocket and strode calmly towards him with a frown. “You shouldn’t be so rude talking to adults.”

“But you were being a slow poke. And nobody likes a slow poke.”

He half expected his father to scold him for talking like that, but only a tiny smile grew on his father’s lips.

~

“What is wrong with everybody?”

He stared out across the town, eyes growing wide at the sight in front of him. All across the main square, people were frozen. Not in the sense they were literally turning into ice cubes, but the fact that they weren’t moving. No one was blinking or showing any sign of life. Just frozen statues, with looks of shock stuck to their faces. Stuck doing the activities they’d currently being doing.

“They’re frozen,” Annie replied, staring at Officer Blubs carefully. He was stuck standing next to Deputy Durland, frozen while sipping his coffee. It stuck to her lips, and she tentatively poked the stream of coffee towards his mouth. “It’s solid; like ice.”

She sounded completely astounded by this but it only made the feeling of pins and needles creep further up his spine. Everything looked so eerie. It was as if the town had just been abandoned only instead of tumbleweeds rolling down the road, there was absolutely nothing. Besides him, his mother, and his two friends, there was no sign of activity. No sign or indication that anyone was alive. Or at least, unfrozen.

“I just got off the phone with Ford,” his mother’s voice suddenly rang out, strangely calm given the circumstances. She hurried over to them, sword sheathed and attached to her belt. Her dark eyes betrayed the calm look on her face. She was worried and he didn’t blame her. Her little Blackberry was clenched tightly in her hand, worn and a bit battered after having dropped it so many times in the past. “He, Stan, and Mabel went out to go and try to evacuate the townsfolk. Only they’ve run into the same problem we have.”

From poking one of townspeople, Valentina looked over her shoulder. “So is everyone frozen like this then?” she asked, stepping away from the person she was examining to regroup in the center with him and his mother. “Do they know what caused this?”

“That strange smoke, I’m guessing anyway,” his mother shrugged, eyes furrowing into concern. “Ford has no idea what it is; but they’ll be here soon and we can decide what to do then.”

“Dad!”

The three of them jumped at the sudden outburst from Annie. Her normally reserved expression morphed into absolute horror, blue eyes widening to the size of put-put balls and filling with fear. She pushed past him and Valentina, ignoring her girlfriend’s call and hurried over to a man standing in front of the library, body stuck from where he’d been looking up at the sky with bewilderment. She stopped right in front of him, hand resting on his forearm as her lower lip trembled and her eyes began to water with unshed tears. “Dad…” she sounded shaky, trepidation evident in her tone. “Oh God, Dad, what happened?”

She didn’t stop shaking, not even when Valentina wrapped her arms around her protectively, just as concerned as the short blonde. His mother stepped up beside her, gaze sympathetic to the distraught girl. “We’ll find a way to fix him,” she started in a reassuring tone but he could see right through her. She had no idea how to fix him. “What we need to do right now is look for anyone else.”

“No point in doing that. Everyone’s more frozen than the stuff lying in our freezer.”

It was a relief to hear Stan’s voice ring out through the deafening silence of the town. He turned around, letting out a small sigh that he didn’t know he’d been holding in. The Pines family looked alright, minus the unnerved expressions on their faces and the hardness that shown in their dark brown eyes. He gave a small nod in Mabel’s direction, thought the curt nod she gave in return was disheartening. It was still so strange not to see her as her bubbly and energetic self.

They had to get Dipper back. One way or another.

“Do you know what’s going on here, Ford?”

He hadn’t even heard his mother’s question until Ford began to speak in a hard, firm tone. “It seems like the very fabric of time has stopped. When Bill destroyed the time baby, he gained powers of the universe. I didn’t think he still had them but I’m assuming this is his doing. Though I still don’t understand the black smoke. Nor why we’re the ones who are unaffected by it.”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Stan ground out, cracking his knuckles in an obvious show of aggression. “That triangle bastard is singling us out; get anyone else who might try and stop him out of the way so he can focus on us.”

He didn’t like the thought of being singled out, though he supposed it shouldn’t be anything new to him. His hand lay lightly on the hilt of the sword, fingers itching to pick it up. Despite the ominous and unsettling atmosphere that hovered over the town, there was something else. While it seemed positive that Bill had a hand in this, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was someone else. Not The Beast, although he was sure that the tree demon had a hand in this, but something older. An Eldritch being he couldn’t even begin to understand.

“The Morrigan,” his mother spoke up, leaning against a car now frozen on the road. Her arms crossed tightly in front of her as if she were cold. “She’s here. She’s the cause of the black smoke.”

“And you are sure of this?” Ford questioned, narrowing his eyes. “A being that old wouldn’t be resurrected to full power in a day. She would need months of feeding and I know she has a tremendous appetite.”

“Not unless she’s been free for a while and they’ve just been feeding her.”

The six of them practically jumped at the sound of Mabel’s voice, bodies shifting in her direction as she stared ominously at them. His heart practically ached at the wounded sound of her voice; the complete anguish and discomfort in it. She stared at them pensively, brow narrowing in thought. “I mean, think about it. No one goes into the forest anymore for reasons they can’t explain. Something so dark that it keeps people away from the woods, except for the people who have disappeared from the other towns. They didn’t want us to know till now. This is their ace.”

“But the objects,” Valentina interjected, hand now resting gingerly over her eye. The reminder of what that illuminati demon had done to her. “We have all but one of them. It’s not like they’ve won yet.”

“Better to be safe than sorry,” Ford warned. “Demons are crafty; they have a way with words. I would know.”

Silence descended upon their small group of seven, all of them looking towards the forest with apprehension. The word Annie had spoken earlier that day danced around in his mind. While what Mabel had said made sense, he still couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. This all had been too easy. Getting the objects; no, having them practically handed to them without much of a fight had been child’s play.

He met Annie’s gaze, who nodded solemnly. Witch’s intuition, he supposed or he was just really easy to read. “It’s too easy,” she sighed, gaining everyone’s attention. “This has all been too easy. Did none of you think of that?”

When no one spoke, she sighed once more with a little more irritation. “We’ve pretty much have had the objects handed to us. Not a single demon coming out to fight us for it. Have we ever stopped to think that they’ve been planning this since the very beginning? And we’ve been foolishly playing along?”

“Well, well, well, aren’t you a clever little witch?”

He couldn’t see the owner of said voice, but he knew who it was. Through the stillness of the town, he watched with the rest of his friends as Bill Cipher strolled in like a king on his way to his throne. No flashy display of power, no attempt to hurt one of them. He just walked towards them with a leer on his face and a rather tall woman, just a bit taller than him, on his arm. He stopped a few feet away from them, looking directly at Mabel as he spoke. “Pine Tree sends his regards but he’s a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

“BILL!” He squeezed Mabel’s arm tight as she attempted to advance towards him. Eyes blazing with a rage and hatred he didn’t think he could ever see come from her. “GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!”

“Hmmm, since you yelled at me, I don’t think so,” Bill shrugged nonchalantly at her anger, that cruel smile ever present on his face. “Oh, heya Fordsy! And Stan, how have you been? Valentina, looking good with that one of yours! You too, Lover Boy!”

“Bill,” Ford snarled, drawing some sort of gun from his coat and aiming it at the illuminati demon. “You will give Dipper back, NOW!”

“Or what?” Bill sneered; clearly amused and perhaps slightly impressed they had the audacity to stand up to him. “You’ll shoot me with a little gun? Maybe that’d work on a lower ranking demon, but on me? It was a nice try, though. Cute, even!”

“If you think for one minute we’re just going to sit by and let you tear this town apart again, you better think twice,” Stan was eerily calm, voice not wavering in anger like Ford and Mabel. He stepped away slightly from the man, now fully realizing how serious he was. Bill seemed to sense it too, for his one eye twitched ever so slightly. “I’ll erase you from this world once more. I don’t care how; I don’t even care if I die! But if you think that you can just waltz in here and threaten my family and friends, you’re dead!”

For a moment Bill didn’t say anything. That stupid smile of his had vanished, each inch of it fading with every word Stan spoke. He gazed coldly at them, cane appearing in a flash of gold as he let go of the deathly pale woman’s arm. He looked at her with a sigh, as though they were a bunch of bugs he just couldn’t get rid of. “See what I mean, Mother? This is what humans are like nowadays. Rude and disrespectful. I’ll have to break it out of Pine tree eventually,” his lips twisted upwards and looked to them once more with cruel intent. “You have no idea how fantastic it was to be inside him. You should have heard the way he screamed at me to stop.”

“YOU BAST-“

“That’s enough.”

He jumped at the sound of his own mother’s voice, the older woman brushing past him and Mabel, drawing her sword out to point it directly at Bill. “I can’t listen to any more of this. It’s pointless,” there was no fear in her voice; no sign of hesitation. She just stared directly at the demon. “This sword may not be strong enough to kill you, but I can weaken you with it. I’ll slice you apart, Bill Cipher.”

For the longest time, no one spoke. Instead of laughing or giving her a snide insult, Bill actually glared at her. He didn’t even laugh obnoxiously at her! He just looked at her as though he wanted to rip her apart. He was half surprised the demon didn’t try to. What was stopping him? The glare suddenly vanished and he stepped back, cocking his head a little. “I’d love to stay and chat; maybe even fight you with that sword of yours, but I’ve gotta run. I’ve got a Pine tree to return to after all!”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Mabel snapped, reaching towards some gun strapped to her belt. “Come back here and fight me!”

“Now why would I want to fight my sister-in-law?” Bill laughed as Mabel turned a pale shade of green, sick with the idea of her brother being…married? Since when were Dipper and Bill married? Bill snickered, hands on his hips. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll let my pals here fight you instead. See you after this is all done!”

In a flash of bright gold he was gone. Creeping in from the shadows were demons with odd shapes to them. A flaming pink female demon, a green goblin looking creature with magic eight balls for eyes, a pair of dentures with legs, a turquoise keyhole with a face, a hexagonal creature with lips and a moustache, a floating diamond with a black aura, a dark gray baby that reminded him vaguely of an angry pig, and a giant cube that gave image the image of gray sliced bread.

“The Henchmaniacs,” Ford growled, looking around at the beings who’d surrounded them. “Okay everyone, follow my lead and-“

“WIRT! LOOK OUT!”

He didn’t even process Valentina’s call until a deathly cold hand gripped his shoulder. He whirled around; expecting to see one of the maniacs or even worse, The Beast, but all that stood in front of him was The Morrigan. He turned his head back to call back to his mother or one of his friends but no one was there. There was nothing but that odd stillness and now the fact that he was nowhere near his friends and mother. The library. They were in the garden area behind the library. But why?

“I thought it was peaceful,” He jumped, eyes widening at the sound of her voice. A soft, gentle sounding inflection that didn’t sound at all like a creature that had given birth to demons. She strode to one of the stone benches, sitting down with the grace of an elder. With a pale hand, she patted the spot next to her. “Have a seat,” even with a soft voice, he felt compelled to comply with her demands and found himself walking numbly towards her. “We need to have a talk.”

~

Mortimer stared at the piece of paper in his hands and for the first time in his life, he felt unsure of what to do.

He sat alone, against the wall of the old bunker watching with thin interest as young Gregory entertained his father and young sister. He had no interest in socializing with any of them. God knew he and David disliked each other with a strong passion. It was no secret; even his ex-wife knew they didn’t like each other. It wasn’t a surprise; their personalities were so much different from each other’s. He even pondered the thought of how long it took Wirt to open up towards the other man.

Had he ever called David “Dad”?

He frowned to himself, trying to squish down the feelings of jealousy. He had no right, no right at all to feel that way. As much as he disliked David, the man had been there for his son more than he ever had. David was more of a father than he would ever be. He was the kind of father that Wirt needed, not him.

Yet, the piece of paper clenched tightly in his hand said otherwise. In ornate, neat writing were numbers. A phone number, to be exact. From a man who claimed to know Wirt very, very well. Dante Blackwood. Why had he never heard that name before? When he had called Wirt once to ask how school was, the boy had never mentioned him. Did Xiāng ling know him? Why did people insist on keeping him in the dark?

_“I know how much you care for him, despite what others may think. I can help you, Mr. Palmer. I can help your son. He’s in danger and I know a way to save him.”_

The words replayed in his head, over and over again. Like the recording on an answering machine. Why was Wirt in danger? How could his ex-wife and her husband allow this to happen? Why did…why did no one tell him? Or even ask him for assistance.

He imagined the look on his ex-wife’s face. She would become angry with him; David too. She would list all the things he’d done wrong when their son was a child; how much of a terrible father he was. How he never cared; never bothered to get to know their son until it was “too late”. Well, that’s what he assumed she felt. She never really threatened him to stay away until last summer.

He still couldn’t quite remember what happened. He remembered arguing with Wirt. About asking the boy to move in with him and he remembered quite well that Wirt had not taken the request very well. He could still feel the stinging feeling in his palm after striking the teenager across the face. God, how he wished he could take that back. He had been trying so hard to reconnect with him and for a moment, he feared he had lost that chance. That Wirt was lost to him forever. Next thing he knew, Wirt was on the bed looking very flustered and upset.

He just couldn’t remember _how_ he got on the bed. Things went a little fuzzy after that but he knew he had been trying to stop Wirt from leaving. Yet, that didn’t explain the puzzle piece missing.

_“I can save him. With your help, you can stop the bad things happening from him. You can show your son how much you’re willing to do for him.”_

He truly did love his son. Despite the distance that he put between them, he could never stop loving him. The past was the past; they couldn’t go back and fix things then. But they had a chance now…they had a chance to make a better future for the both of them.

Saving his son from whatever was after him was a start.

He pulled out his phone, typing in his password and then proceeded to type the number in. It rang once and to his surprise, a voice on the other end responded. “Yes, Mr. Palmer? Have you thought about my proposal?”

“Yes,” he cleared his throat, keeping in mind to keep his voice down as he glanced across the bunker to where David was still preoccupied with his children. “And I accept your help Mr. Blackwood. What do I need to do?”

_“There are six objects in the bunker; I’m sure you’ve seen them at one point. A key, a sword, a wine glass, a doll, a silver spoon, and a pair of golden scissors. They are important to helping your son.”_

“But why-“

_“There is no time to sit and chat. You must get the objects and meet me in front of the mystery shack.”_

“But the others-“

_“Do not worry about them. Just bring the objects and we will set about saving your son. You want to save him, don’t you?”_

“Of course!” he practically snapped into the phone. “So six objects, right?”

_“That is correct. I will meet you there soon.”_

The man hung up without even a goodbye. He stuffed the phone back in his pocket, standing up to look around the bunker. He almost fell over in shock at the six small stands covered in protective casing. How did Dante know where they were? Why did he need him to get them for him? Surely he could just walk in and get them himself.

“Stop thinking like that,” he scolded himself, shaking his head clear of the odd thoughts. “Wirt needs you. This is your chance. Don’t blow it.”

He didn’t even question the sleeping bodies of the other three. Nor did he even notice the fourteen year old girl standing at the top of the stairs whispering in an ancient language.

Just like with most things, he turned a blind eye.

~

She never realized how much she hated demons until now.

Narrowly avoiding the hand reaching in her direction, she plunged the sword into the palm of the demon. It howled, or at least, she assumed it was howling. The gray square demon that reminded her of bread and a gorilla combined. All topped with a party hat on its ugly head.

She didn’t even have time to check on the others; everyone to preoccupied with fighting the demons at hand. The Stans’ made an incredible tag team, blasting and punching the two demons they were fighting without ever leaving each other’s side. Even Mabel, as young and inexperienced as she was, was holding her own against the flaming pink demon that kept shooting fire at her.

She almost lost her composure when the demon almost burned the girl with pink fire.

Annie, despite being new at her abilities seemed to be doing okay for the most part. She managed to immobilize one of the demons for a short while before it broke free from her control, the hexagonal demon smacking her body so hard she impacted the wall. She had been dazed for a few seconds but when the demon lunged for her, her reflexes had kicked in. She was now using a combination of fighting and the combat skills her father had taught her.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Valentina use her own sword to slice the arm off the turquoise key demon. It screamed at her, profanities in English and another language that no human tongue could form. She knew how hard it was for the girl to regain her sense of balance; to learn how to sword fight with only one eye.

She just never imagined that Wirt would be in a similar position.

She felt her stomach twist at the thought of her son. She hadn’t even had time to react when The Morrigan grabbed him and disappeared in a cover of dark smoke. What did she want with him?

“Hey slant eyes!” the pair of pine dentures had the nerve to speak to her like that! She glared at him, stepping towards him with intent to kill. He laughed, continuing to do so when she kicked him hard enough to knock a tooth out. He just kept laughing and laughing, to the point she felt tempted to cover her ears. Any other circumstance she would but she couldn’t let her guard down. Not here; not now.

“Where’s your son?” he (it?) mocked. “Bet you don’t know what old Cernunnos has planned for him.”

Cernunnos? It must mean The Beast; figured he had his own name. “I don’t know or care right now what he has planned for my son because he’s not going to get him!” she lunged in his direction once more, only he sidestepped her this time. Her sword ended up hitting air, narrowly avoiding one of the frozen people on the sidewalk. “You can tell your boss that!”

“He’s not my boss!” the creature seemed miffed about being demoted to a mere peon. If it had a face she could say he would either been leering or glaring at her right now. “But he will be yours,” the demon laughed. “You stupid fleshies have no idea what’s coming.”

“And you do? A mere henchman of Bill knows what’s coming?”

“Of course!” the pair of dentures with legs laughed once again, sending a several thousand chills down her spine. “They plan to merge The Unknown and Nightmare realm into this one!”

~

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a conversation with someone. A decent one, anyway.”

He could only stare at the woman. No, she wasn’t a woman. She wasn’t a demon either; actually he wasn’t sure what to classify her as. The Oracle bones called her an Eldritch being that the humans considered a Pagan Goddess. How on earth was he going to comprehend the fact that a _goddess_ was sitting right next to him? Or the fact that he was her great, great, great, grandson?

“There is no need to be shy,” she sighed at him, as though he was being a nuisance. “I am not going to kill you, Walter.”

“You…you aren’t?”

“No. That would be rather redundant, don’t you think?”

If someone were to ask him, he wasn’t quite sure how killing him would be redundant but he dared not ask. She seemed calm here, her eyes closed and taking in the sound of…well, nothing. There was no sound. Not the chirping of birds or buzzing of insects. No sound of spring leaves rustling in the wind that carried the promise of another summer. There was nothing but ear splitting silence.

“Your great grandmother, Wuya, out of all my daughters, was my favorite,” her voice broke the silence, eyes opening to reveal black irises that seemed to go on forever. “Perhaps it was because she was my eldest daughter. Or maybe it was because of her honor in fighting. Or perhaps it was the fact that I always knew she would become a human.”

“You…you knew?” God, he needed to stop stuttering. Why did this always happen to him? “Did you know all of this would happen?”

“Yes,” she nodded; black hair moving around her despite the fact there was no breeze to move it. “Not many beings are given the power of sight. Your little blonde witch friend has the ability. She has me to thank for that. I gave conceived the demon who gave the power of light and dark magic to the humani.”

“Humani?” was he even saying that right?

“An old term for humans we ancient ones use,” when she noticed the blank look on his face, she merely closed her eyes and let out a little sigh. “I am not the oldest thing out there, Walter. My husband, your great, great, great grandfather and many other ones are still out there. In prisons or in their own realms. You humani are not alone, despite what you may think.”

“Why did you let this happen if you knew about it before? Why let it?” of course that was the first thing to come out of his mouth! What was he thinking? Now what if she decided to go back on her decision earlier and kill him? And all because he had to be rude!

“You cannot stop everything that happens. Think of the future as this,” she indicated towards the flowers nearby. In between two buttercups, was a single thread of spider silk. “The future is not set in stone. I see many possible threads. Some are similar to others. Some are thicker; they shine much more brightly than others. Those are the ones that are likely to happen. Not always, but often. Out of all the threads in your future, my oldest son, the one you call The Beast, is in all but one.”

“And which one is that?” the question was already out of his mouth before he has time to reconsider asking it. Did he really want to know.

Unfortunately, she decided for him. “You escape the fate of The Beast in one thread.”

“That’s not good, is it?”

“No,” after a moment’s pause, she decided on that answer. “It is never good to escape your fate by one thread. It’s incredibly slim; incredibly unlikely.”

“And which thread was it?”

She gave him a sidelong look, an expression that could be called sympathy, but wasn’t. It was pity. “If you never jumped over the garden wall with young Gregory, you could have avoided ever coming across The Beast,” there was another long moment of silence before she spoke once more. “Of course, I don’t think you truly regret making that decision though.”

“What? Of course I do! Greg could have been killed! We both could have been dead; lost forever!”

“Yes, but you didn’t die,” how could she say that so matter of factly? So casually? Was life just so…meaningless to her? “If you hadn’t jumped over the wall and almost lost your brother, would you have changed? Would you be as close as you are now? And how would you have treated your sister if you never visited The Unknown? Perhaps it was a good thing you fell over the wall, then.”

The world was spinning around him, so much so he had to rest his head in between his knees. She still gazed down on him with that pitying expression, a pale hand with black painted nails resting on his shoulder blade. “There was once a time I tried to avoid my fate,” she spoke in almost a whisper. He shifted his head to look at her only to notice her eyes change from black, to red, to yellow. “Of course I was younger then; much more foolish than I am now.”

He was curious now, lifting his head from his knees to look at her with curiosity. “What happened?”

“A long time ago, long before time was marked, I lived with the other elder beings such as myself. I am what the humani now call a triple goddess. I had two sisters and though we had separate bodies, our consciousness was linked. Together we were invincible. Together, we were The Morrigan, The Macha, and The Badb. And yet, I was the only one who had the power of sight. Long before I had come to understand the power of sight, I came to glimpse one possible vision: I killed my sisters and married the one I swore never to love.”

He grimaced uneasily. “And what happened?”

“I hid myself away from my sisters, from the one I would ultimately love and marry. My sisters grew upset and worried about me and when I tried to run from them, they followed me. I ran from them for a hundred years before they caught up with me. I thought I was doing what I could to protect them but I only came to realize there were multiple ways the future could go. I in avertedly killed them in a fit of panic. Their physical bodies were destroyed but they still live on inside me. I ultimately did end up marrying the one I swore never to marry; the two of us conceiving the demon race.”

He frowned, attempting to process it all in. “And your husband, my grandfather, where is he?”

“Oh, he was locked up on the moon.”

Well, when she said it like that... “How can you say that so casually?” he asked, completely astounded. “With no problem?”

“When you get to be as old as me, you tend to view things a bit differently,” she smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. Something lay behind them. Something she was not telling him. “You see Walter, I know my fate. I’ve seen my life play out and I’ve accepted all of it. There are times you can’t fight your destiny. Please take those words to mind.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” her gaze hardened and he found he could not look away from her penetrating gaze. “You and Cernunnos. Your fates are inexplicably bound together. You can’t avoid it forever, Walter. You might as well accept it.”

“No!”

“There is no thread of fate where you avoid him,” she tried to reason but he couldn’t hear any of it. He stood up, stepping away from her. She only continued to sit, narrowing her eyes at him in a desperate way to convince him. “Your paths were bound long ago. You cannot avoid him. The longer you do, the more humani will get hurt. You can’t always avoid the path, Walter. You can deviate, but it will always be there.”

“Is there anything useful you could tell me?” he didn’t even care if he was being rude. He was so done with demons and destinies! He glared at her, hand resting on the sword he almost forgot was attached to his belt. “Are you sure there is no other thread to avoid this?”

“There is no other way to escape it,” she shook her head, rising from her seat. “I cannot escape my destiny either. I am not long for this world, Walter. Very soon, I will die.”

“What?”

“I was meant to die here,” she indicated to the area around her. “I knew this long before my children were even a thought. I am not meant to survive this battle. I have lived an interesting life. I have trained one of the brightest pupils I have had the pleasure of encountering and I promise you, you will like her.”

He stepped further away from her. “What are you talking about?”

“There is something coming, Walter. Something much bigger than you and I. There is a prophecy, and before you go around saying it’s nonsense, please know it’s not. Most prophecies are but not this one.”

“Do I even want to know?”

She chose to ignore that question, stepping closer to him with each sentence that popped out of her black stained lips.

“ _Two worlds will come together,”_

_“Two hearts will beat as one,”_

_“Light and Dark will meet at opposite ends,”_

_“The signs of Gemini and Capricorn will rise,”_

_“And only one and one alone,”_

_“Will survive the battle and claim the world._

She kept advancing towards him, path between each step. Her eyes were still that black color, a cold light in them that had not experienced warmth in a long time. He continued to step away from her, hand gripping the sword ever so slightly. “Get…get away from me!”

“Walter-“

“Stay back!”

“Don’t run from your path anymore,” she kept trying to advise, taking another step as she spoke. “You cannot escape it. You cannot run from it forever. The time is drawing near and you will have to accept it.”

“No!”

“Yes, I am afraid you must.”

With each word, an aura seemed to grow around her. Dark, intimidating, a feeling that made the primal part of him want to run and hide. She was allowing him to see just how ancient she was; how powerful she was. That if he pushed her hard enough, she would have no problem killing him. She could just snap her fingers and he would die. Just like that.

Yet the part of him that had Awakened almost two years ago echoed in his brain. He could defeat her. He knew how; and even if he had no training, instinct would still win out. He didn’t care if it was reckless. There was a certain grace in his recklessness; something an ordinary person would not understand or ever know.

“You will accept your fate, child.”

“No, I won’t!”

And then before his brain could process it, he lunged forward.

~

While being locked in a windowless room was one thing, being chained down to a floor was another.

He struggled against his binds, chains clunking together noisily as he tried to get Bill’s attention. The demon only smiled at him, kneeling down to run a hand through his hair in a bizarre form of comfort. “Don’t you worry, Pine tree, this will all be over in less than ten minutes! Good news for you!”

“Let me go! What is this?”

“Oh don’t play dumb, Pine tree, you know what this is!”

He only scowled, not saying anything more. Bill laughed, dancing away from him to another side of the room where two attendants stood by the door. The same two women that had stood by him on his “wedding” day. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block that day out of his mind. _“Focus on something else,”_ he lectured himself, trying to keep the panic at bay. _“There are seven symbols lined on the floor connected to a circle made from…chalk, maybe?”_

“Actually, it’s bones,” Bill corrected and he inwardly face palmed. Of course, how could he forget Bill had access to his thoughts? The demon laughed at him, as though he were the just the most amusing thing in the room. “You see, there are two human attributes that are needed. The blood and bones of humans. Since we need one of each, we found some human female and ground up her bones. You should have heard the way she screamed.”

“You monster!” He spat at the demon, feeling nothing but sympathy to the poor woman. “She probably had a life! A family to go back to! How could you take that away from her?”

“Aw, you should feel lucky, Pine tree. I could have taken Shooting star and used her. Would that have been better?” by the completely horrified look on his face, Bill sneered at him. “Didn’t think so. All we need now are the objects, your blood, and the death of an archon…”

The sentence was never completed. The room suddenly began to shake violently, the tremors of an earthquake more likely. The candles illuminating the room flickered the two attendants gave each other looks that he could not decipher very well. Fear, maybe? Concern? Anticipation?

“Well, looks like Mother Dearest’s death just happened.”

 Bill had fallen to the floor, right hand grasping the spot where his heart should be. His face had squelched into one of pain; the same feeling he had felt the day his parents died. Even if he hadn’t known about it right away, he felt something wrong. Was it the same way with demons? Bill actually looked…sad for a moment.

Of course, he wiped that expression away by a lecherous grin. He stood up, cane appearing in his right hand and twirled it with expertise. “Every archon that’s still around on this planet probably felt it too,” Bill glanced towards the two women, who merely stared back at him blankly. “Hope they’re not too upset, but hey, what can they do? They’re all locked up!”

He knew there were older things out there, (being locked up in a room with nothing but books didn’t offer him a whole lot to do). None of them stated why the older ones were locked up, other than the fact that demons had over thrown them and took over their ruling of the world. He thought about asking Bill once but the demon had hardly been around after their “first night” together. He shivered again, stomach lurching at the reminder of that night.

The door opened and a man with deathly pale skin and pale eyes walked in. The Beast. Yet, he had no idea who the other man was until it suddenly hit him.

Why was Wirt’s father here?

~

“Where are we going?”

“You will see momentarily. We are almost there.”

Mortimer only frowned, glancing towards the brief case that now contained most of the objects. The sword was in his hand, though the man Dante had warned him to wear some sort of protection before grabbing it. He was luck there had been a pair of gloves nearby and now as he held it, he sort of understood why. Whatever these…things were, they weren’t ordinary. They looked like everyday objects but even someone as simple as him could tell they weren’t. They had an aura about them, something not entirely human, or so to say. Did that make any sense? He wasn’t entirely sure.

Dante seemed so at ease, walking through the town full of frozen people. It was unnerving to say the least, how calm he appeared. Hands behind his back as he walked with precision around the throng of people that stood immobilized in the road. He almost struggled to keep up with the man, twisting around through the people to avoid bumping into them and possibly knocking them over.

“Do keep up, Mr. Palmer. Our destination is in that building.”

A church. Why a church? Not that he had anything against churches but why this church in particular? He wasn’t a religious man; not having stepped inside a church since his wedding day all those years ago. It seemed like an eerie reminder now. He and Xiāng ling had promised themselves to each other until their final breaths. So much for that now, though that had been his fault. He pushed her and their son away and ultimately, she decided to do what was best for her and their son.

His son. He had to save him from whatever was going to hurt him. If he didn’t do something; do anything to save him and earn his son’s love and respect, it would wound him. His pride, the attempts to earn his child’s trust, would be for not.

He struggled past the final person, almost tripping onto the asphalt. Dante looked down at him with a vague look of amusement on his face before he turned towards the building. “We are here,” he spoke with that oddly deep voice of his. “The others are waiting inside.”

“Others?”

The extremely tall man pushed the large doors open without any effort, barely even toughing the solid oak wood. He expected the inside to be the typical placement of a church. Pews lined up on the right and left side, an alter up front with the symbol of the cross.

He was sorely mistaken.

There were no pews; no alter in the front. The golden cross still hung on the wall but there was nothing even remotely holy in the room. Candles were lit, the only source of light that could be seen. He jumped at the sound of doors closing behind him, turning around to see two tall and strange looking women with indigo eyes. He almost didn’t notice their pupils were not human until he realized they were akin to the eyes of a cat.

They smiled at him and for a moment, he almost felt afraid; tempted to run. He stepped away from them, turning back to the direction of where the cross was only to find a man standing in the front. Tall and spindly, in a yellow suit with an eye patch over his face and a cane that looked to be made from solid gold. The way he smiled…it didn’t look human.

It was when he looked at the floor did he realize that something was not right.

A boy, with chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes, lay chained to the ground. In the middle of a circle made from what looked to be chalk with smaller outer circles attached to it. The boy looked at him with horror, eyes widening to the size of small dinner plates.

He rushed to the boy’s side, lifting up the link to the cuff on his wrist. He pulled, eyes searching for where the chain link was attached to but there was nothing. “What is going on?” he snapped, looking back towards Dante for answers. “Who are you people?”

“Took you long enough for you to figure things you. You’re even dumber than most people,” the man in the yellow suit laughed, high pitched and cruel. “You fell right into our hands; thinking you could play the hero.”

“Run!” the boy chained to the floor called to him, arms moving against the heavy chains that held him down. “Get out! It’s a trap!”

“Hush, Pine tree,” the man in yellow scolded lightly. “Don’t ruin our fun!”

“The boy is right,” he whirled around, finding Dante Blackwood looming over him. Only, instead of a man, it was a shadowy creature with enormously long branches sticking from either side of his head and glowing, illuminating eyes that stared straight into his soul. He wanted to move; oh God he wanted to get away but he couldn’t move. Staring into those eyes; he couldn’t look away! The creature grinned at him, a shadowy like hand that was surprisingly solid brushed his face. “You complied with all our demands, Mortimer Palmer. Thanks to you, we have all the Vessels of Sin.”

“The… the what?”

“Did no one bother to inform you?” the creature mocked him, false pity seeping from his cruel voice. “You’re a foolish man, Mortimer Palmer. You let your pride blind you from your common sense. Did you actually think you can trust me?”

He could feel his eyes widen, the echoes of laughter ringing in his ear. Even as a hand crept into his coat pocket, pulling out the mirrors, he couldn’t move. The creature, demon, whatever he was called, merely sneered at him. “Your son is mine, Mortimer Palmer! And thanks to you, I can have him,” the brief case had been cast aside long ago, and he barely registered the man in yellow picking it up without ever moving from his spot.

The objects removed themselves from the bag, blue light surrounding them as the man placed each of them in a specific circle. The shadow-like monster moved himself away from him, placing the mirror in the last circle.

A hand grabbed him by the arm, forcing him up. Another hand grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at the scene before him. The man in yellow loomed over the boy, holding a very ancient and sharp knife. “I want you to remember this moment,” the demon hissed in a low, threatening voice. “I want you to remember the moment where you caused all this. _You_ delivered your son, the entire world, into my hands.”

Then there was nothing but darkness.

~

She looked at him with a dazed expression, black liquid escaping in a tiny stream down her lips.

His eyes widened, the sword feeling even heavier in his hands as it stayed impaled into her abdomen. Besides the spider witch and the training dummies his mother had made, he’d never stabbed anything else. Certainly not an archon! Or his great-grandmother!

“Oh my God,” he didn’t stutter this time; too scared to do that at the moment. He didn’t know what to do. If he removed the sword, she would die but he certainly couldn’t leave it in her! “Oh my God, what have I done?”

“What you were supposed to do,” her voice cracked, more liquid falling from her mouth and she let out a choking noise. “You were meant to kill me, Walter. It was all up to you.”

“No, I-“

“I told you I was meant to die here,” she reasoned, hand resting on the blade. “Your mother probably didn’t even realize that this sword here is capable of killing me. The only sword, actually. I doubt she knew that when she gave it to you.”

He seethed in anger. “You knew the entire time?...Why did you have to die? What is the point of all this?”

“To activate the vessels, of course,” she stated this as though it was an obvious fact that everyone knew. “The death of an archon has to be given as a sacrifice to the vessels. Quite demanding, actually. They require three sacrifices: the blood and bones of a man and woman, and the death of an archon.”

“Oh God…” he still didn’t know what to do. Did he pull the sword out or did he just leave it? He had to go warn the others but he didn’t want to leave her here either. “Do they have the other things needed?”

“The little friend of yours, the one with the Polaris star on his forehead, they’re using his blood,” she said nonchalantly, nodding her head. A cough erupted from her lips, black liquid splattering onto his face. “They’ll need the bones of a female humani but I imagine they’ll find that without any problem. Now, pull the sword out.”

“What? No!”

“Don’t be a fool; I’m dying, can’t you tell. I don’t peg you for being a sadist, so are you really going to allow me to suffer for much longer?” she snapped at him, her normally reserved face breaking into one of pain. “Pull it out!”

“I can’t!”

“You can! Do it! The longer you stand here looking like a dimwitted fool, the more time you’re wasting!”

She had a point. Even when he stabbed it, the earth seemed to vibrate in response and that had been only two minutes ago. As much as he didn’t like the thought of killing someone, he couldn’t stand here anymore. “Alright,” he sighed in defeat, tightening his hold on the hilt. “I’ll do it. I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” her voice gurgled, the black blood spilling all over her. “Just do it! Now!”

It was almost too easy pulling it out and he stepped back with a tiny shriek as her body fell to the ground. He expected her to say something more; a thank you or even a snide remark but there was nothing. Her eyes had glazed over, staring blankly up at the sky. A surge of pity ran through him, but he knew she was right. He didn’t have the time to stand there mulling over his thoughts.

“Mom,” he looked towards the direction where the others were. Instinct told him they were still there; doing something important. “Greg. I have to find you guys!”

Sheathing his sword, he ran from the library garden. The sound of his feet hitting the pavement run in his ears; heart pounding wildly against his cage as blood coursed through his veins. He had to warn them! Destiny be damned; he couldn’t allow this to happen! He would never belong to The Beast!

He almost wished there was wind to brush by him, to run through his dark hair as he ran. His gut lurched, twisting around and rolling violently. Something wasn’t right; he could feel something bad was about to happen. Maybe it already had.

“Don’t start thinking like that!” he snapped to himself, grinding his teeth together. “I can do this! I can save the day! I am strong, very strong! Extremely strong! I can defeat The Beast! Everyone is counting on me!”

He couldn’t let them down. He couldn’t let his mother and friends down. If everything failed, he didn’t think he could look at them in the eye ever again. And Greg…Greg would stop looking at him like he was some sort of hero. He could picture it. The innocence and adoration fleeting from his dark eyes, replaced by something hollow and cold. He…he couldn’t have Greg lose his innocence! If Greg changed, changed so drastically, it would break his heart.

He couldn’t lose his little brother.

A smile broke out on his lips as he ran down the street. He could see them. His mother and friends, now fighting against the odd looking creatures that had appeared moments before he vanished. “MOM!” he called out, taking out his sword and running towards her. “Mom! Mom!

She paused in her fighting, eyes widening at the sight of him. Her mouth hung open for a split second before a look of relief washed over her face. “Wirt!” she called out and quickly sliced at the demon, sword pinning its arm to the ground. “Wirt, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!”

The world around them started shaking and he almost lost his balance. The demons fighting the rest of the group looked up towards the sky and all together vanished in a flash of bright neon colors. A sound so painful to hear; a ripping sound that reminded him of someone tearing fabric in half. A glowing tear ripped through the sky, so bright he had to shield his eyes away from it. From behind him, another tear could be heard, just as terrifying and painful as the other.

“Wirt!”

Both he and his mother paused at the sound of the new voice that rung out high against the sounds of swords and guns blasting at the demons. He watched as his mother’s face twisted in horror and he immediately spun around, expecting Bill or The Beast to be right behind him.

Instead, it was Greg, running towards him. Not even pausing to look at the strange tear in the sky.

“Wirt!” the boy ran towards him, looking terribly upset and worn out from all the running. Had he ran all the way from the bunker to town? Where was Dave? His little face was flushed pink, small little beads of sweat running down his face. Why was he here? What had happened? “Wirt!”

“Greg!” he took a step towards the boy, ready to break out into a run to greet him.

He was only able to take one step.

Greg stopped running, eyes growing wide at something as he stared straight behind him. He froze as hands gripped his shoulder, heart sinking all the way into his stomach at the knowing feeling that coursed through his body. He barely even registered the sound of his mother screaming at him before a voice whispered in his ear.

“Time’s up, Young Lover. You’re mine now.”

The last thing he saw before the world turned black was the frightened and horrified expression on Greg’s face.

~

“Dad! Dad! Wake up!”

He pulled at his father’s arm, Jason croaking beside him in an effort to wake the older man up. His sister stirred in her sleep, dark eyes opening before a cry burst through her lips. His father suddenly awoke, eyes snapping back into focus at the sound of his sister’s wailing cry. “Greg?” he groaned a hand now on his forehead as though he had a headache. “Greg, what happened? Where’s Mortimer?”

“He’s gone!” he almost shouted, stepping away from the man to gesture towards where the objects had been. “And the vessels are gone! He took them, Dad!”

“He what?!”

“He took them!” he stated this again, feeling more upset and afraid by the minute. “And Wirt’s in danger! We have to save him!”

He ran towards the stairs leading to the top of the bunker, not even waiting for his father to catch up. Jason followed him, webbed feet bouncing lightly against the cold floor as his small beady eyes looked towards the door at the top with determination. He ignored his father’s call, feet tapping loudly against the metal stairs. He couldn’t sit here and wait anymore! Wirt was in danger and he had to do something about it!

Good leaders were supposed to look out for people!

“Greg! Get back here! It’s too dangerous out there!”

His hand touched the handle of the door, his father now carrying his sister as he ran after him. “I can’t wait!” he called back, never ceasing in his movements. He could outrun his father; he had the advantage of being small and while his father had longer limbs, he was also carrying his sister who was getting fussier by the minute.

With all his might, he pushed the vending machine open and found himself in the gift shop. He looked towards Jason, who gave him a brief nod before hopping towards the door as if to tell him to open it. He threw the door open, letting the frog hop in front of him before running down the steps  and towards the direction town.

He didn’t even hear his father calling behind him; he could only focus on one thing. Wirt. He had to save him! He couldn’t let the nasty old Beast get to him. “I can’t lose him, Jason!” he told the frog, who responded with a croak that he interpreted as an agreement. “The Beast can’t have him! He’s my big brother!”

His lungs burned, heart pounding in time with each step that hit the ground. He barely even registered the little beads of sweat running down his face. He couldn’t stop now; he had to find his brother! The town wasn’t even that big so finding him shouldn’t be an issue, right?

By the time he spotted him, he could barely contain his joy. He didn’t even care about the huge tear in the sky, or the look of horror on his mother’s face. He made it just in time! Wirt was safe! He could hug his brother; protect him! “Wirt!” he called towards his brother, who looked back at him with a look similar to their mother’s. Wasn’t he glad to see him? “Wirt!”

“Greg!” Wirt shouted back, and he took one step towards him.

One step too late.

He stopped running, Jason too and their mother stood in fear as a shadow-like figure stood behind his brother. The Beast gave him a sneer; an expression that rang of triumph and cruelty. Hands were placed on Wirt’s shoulders, whispering something in his ear; something that he couldn’t hear.

And then, he was gone. Wirt and The Beast, they were both gone. He stood there on the road, numb with icy shock that was as cold as the lake he and his brother fell into almost two years ago. He couldn’t move, body tingling with a new sensation he had never felt before. A sense of clarity that he couldn’t quite describe, but kept him frozen in place.

“WIRT!”

The sound of his mother’s screams snapped him out of his stupor. He only stood there, watching as his mother stood in the place where Wirt had been, tears running down her face. She fell to her knees, screaming and crying while he only stood there. Ford and Stan hurried over to her, kneeling down to try to calm her down.

And before he knew it, he started screaming as well.

He almost broke out into a run if it were not for a pair of arms that held him in place. Annie. He just knew it was Annie and by turning his head a little, his suspicions were confirmed. She held him tightly, holding him close to her body. He finally felt the tears, throat becoming painful from the screams that erupted from him.

 “Annie, let me go!” He sobbed, tears stinging his eyes and falling down his cheeks. It hurt to even talk now and he felt his voice grow hoarse from all the screaming and crying. “Annie, please! I have to get Wirt!”

“I can’t,” her voice cracked. He couldn’t remember the last time she sounded anything but bored but now, it was obvious she was just as shaken up as he was. He even felt a few tear drops fall onto his head. “He’s gone, Greg. He’s gone. You can’t do anything about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. Feel free to throw pitchforks at me. I think you all know what happened to Greg, my poor child *hugs the boy tightly* and Wirt, *hugs him even tighter* you're going to need so many hugs. You have no idea what's in store for you.
> 
> And of course Dipper and Mabel *Hugs them too* I'm sorry for what I had to put you through.
> 
> You know what, everyone line up for a hug. Except for you Beast and Bill. None for you!


	28. Dark Waltz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wirt is loses his innocence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I know it's been only a day but I was just in the writing mood. I might even put the next chapter up later. Who knows. These later chapters won't be as long as chapter 27 but there are a few things I just wanted to add in them. That's all.
> 
> I also caught on SVTFOE and I have to agree with Hungry Larry on his quote "there's nothing scarier than a man who's lost everything." I agree with that 100%
> 
> Also, an angry Raphael (or is it Rafael?) is terrifying in general. I seriously got goosebumps when he snapped. 
> 
> And it got me thinking about adding that fandom into this one, but I don't know...it seems like two fandoms is crazy enough, but having a third one to keep up with? It sounds like a lot of fun but let me know what you guys think! I love reading what you guys have to say!

_Time dances whirling past,_

_I gaze through the looking glass,_

_And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven,_

_Sacred geometry,_

_Where movement is poetry,_

_Visions of you and me forever_

_~Dark waltz by Hayley Westenra~_

**(Unknown destination)**

“You look ravishing, Young Lover.”

“Let go of me!”

“Now, now, is that any way to talk to your husband?”

He felt like he was going to be sick, blanching at the very words that came out of the demon’s mouth. He was spun across the floor, dress floating a little above the ground in a spiral of colors that made him dizzy. He was pulled back into the demon’s arms, turned gracefully into a different direction. He had no idea how to waltz; he was looking quite ridiculous. His face was turning pink from embarrassment and anger and no matter how many times he tried to pull away, The Beast only tightened his grip.

“If you tire of dancing, we could go somewhere a bit more…private,” the hand on the back of his shoulder blade danced down his waist, resting dangerously on his hip. “What do you want, Young Lover?”

“I want you to let me go!” he snapped, glaring at him with a fierceness that a long time ago, he didn’t think he could possess. “I want to go home!”

He caught his reflection in the mirror, trying to stuff down the awful feeling of déjà vu. He didn’t know where they were, what day it was, or even if they were in the same dimension. Some of the creatures here didn’t look human at all, a few of them actually looking like floating traffic signs and what he thought was a pair of dentures with legs and arms hanging by the punch table. He wasn’t sure what they were drinking and made a mental note to himself that he did not want to find out.

He was in a ridiculous dress; the same one from his dream last summer. Made entirely of red silk that felt weightless and soft against his skin. It rivaled the color of blood, with a sash of gold, blue and orange designs. The sleeves were long, almost touching the floor and had the same designs as the sash that hung around his waist. Even the shoes he wore had the same design.

“It’s baby’s blood, if you were wondering,” The Beast smirked at the horrified look that crossed his face, chuckling as he leaned it to brush his lips against his. “It’s a tradition during bonding ceremonies. Would you like some?”

“N...No! That’s sick!”

“You’re loss, then.”

He was dipped down, the sleeves of his dress brushing against the ground. His clavicle exposed to the demon, whose cold lips only brushed the soft warm flesh. It sent shivers down his spine, both pleasant and unpleasant. His heart seemed to quicken its pace by the minute and he attempted to squash down the part of him that wanted to reach out and crash his lips against the demon he wanted dead.

Why was his life so damn hard and confusing?

“You really do look ravishing,” The Beast pulled him back up, a hand coming to thread through his soft dark hair. “I am half tempted to whisk you away to our bedroom.”

Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…

He felt himself pale at the very thought of what the demon was implying, the fear crawling unpleasantly up his spine. He…he wasn’t ready for that. The bonding ceremony was awful enough but to actually bed the demon was a completely different territory he was not ready to explore. He had to prolong it as long as he could!

“Ahem, don’t mean to interrupt Beasty, but we’ve got old friends that just arrived.”

Never in his life had ever been thankful to see Bill. The demon looked the same as always, yellow suit and an eye patch over his right eye. From across the ballroom (or wherever room this was; he still didn’t know where they were), he could see Dipper leaning against a column looking completely uncomfortable. When they locked eyes, it was almost a relief to see him. Almost.

He remembered, with discomfort of course, their conversation from earlier. Apparently once he was bonded it would be immensely difficult to get away from his bond mate; something Dipper told him in the bitterest tone he had ever heard from the boy. He’d been the first to greet him once he woke up; trying to ease him into the situation the best he could before he erupted into a full blown panic attack. There had been two female attendants in the room and Dipper seemed to know them for he shot them nasty looks whenever they spoke to each other. They had put him in the dress and if it had been any other circumstance, he would have fought them and tried to run.

However, he had no idea where he was. Or even if he was still on earth anymore.

“Which friends, Bill?” The Beast asked, the grip on his waist tightening possessively. “We have many friends.”

“Oh, just our dear sister Belinda and our brother Enoch.”

Enoch? Why did that name sound familiar? It couldn’t be the same one from The Unknown, now could it? The Beast’s expression seemed to change at the mention of the other two demons and Bill turned around slightly, waving two creatures over. A female demon with neatly put together light blue hair and a cat. A black cat with a sly smile across his face.

Except, he wasn’t a cat for much longer. He began to grow, legs becoming longer and lankier until he was around the size of Bill Cipher. Dressed in all black with a ruffled white top underneath. His hair was black and just like The Beast, his skin was deathly pale. A top his head was a black magician’s hat with a red ribbon wrapped around. Even while looking more human he had the mischievous look of a cat across his face. When he caught him staring, he winked.

“Cernunnos, you wouldn’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve been able to shape shift,” Enoch stretched his limbs. “Being stuck as a cat for the last 2,000 years hasn’t been all that fun.”

“I imagine it would not. How are you adjusting to the modern world?”

Enoch merely shrugged. “It’s a lot different from when I was around. Of course, back then people were much shorter than they are now,” he looked in his direction, giving him a quick look up and down. “I must say, Wuya definitely has decent looking descendants. How are you doing, Wirt? You look lovely, by the way.”

With the flattest face possible, he replied back. “Thanks.”

“I will chat with both of you later,” The Beast began smoothly, giving them a polite grin. “But my Young Lover and I were just about to take off. Please, enjoy the rest of the party.”

“Will do!”

With that Enoch danced off, slinking through the mass of demons like a cat. The female demon merely smiled and gave a polite curtsey before floating away with such poise and grace he wanted to cry. He felt himself being dragged away, demons of all shapes, colors, and sizes staring at him with leers on their faces.

Before he knew it, they were in a different place. Whether it was a room in the building or a completely different location, he didn’t know. It was a nice room, though; he couldn’t help but discreetly admire the architecture. Victorian, he quickly deduced. With dark bronze wallpaper and a lit fireplace, it felt cozy.

Or at least, it would of if not for the demon behind him. And the fact that the bed made his stomach queasy. It looked like any other four poster bed with a velvet dark red cover, except the wood was entirely out of this world. Edelwood, he deduced rather quickly after noticing the faces in the dark wood. The bed was made from Edelwood.

He almost felt sick at the sight of it.

“You’re very beautiful,” a hand cupped his jaw, tilting it upwards to the left as a pair of cold, yet surprisingly soft lips, ghosted the ride side of his neck and shoulder. The Beast’s prescience behind him was very evident, for the other hand rested quite possessively on his hip. He flinched at the touch, only to receive a voice in his ear. “No need to be frightened. You’re going to enjoy this.”

“I don’t want this,” he was surprised his voice was above a whisper, very firm and calm. “Don’t touch me!”

“Now why would I do that?” the demon purred, the hand on his hip sinking lower to slide up his thigh. “You won’t be denying me much longer; I can assure you of that. It’s going to feel very nice for both of us.”

He found himself pushed onto the bed, and he crawled backwards towards the front of the bed to put as much distance as he could between them. “Stay away from me!” he snapped, glaring defiantly at The Beast. The demon merely rolled his eyes at this behavior, making a great show of peeling off the formal clothes. He blushed at the sight of him, averting his eyes away and to one of the pictures on the wall.

The Unknown; he recognized it quite well. The mill where Beatrice and her family lived. “You didn’t hurt them, did you?” he asked softly, turning his face back to stare directly in the demon’s colored eyes. “You didn’t hurt Beatrice, did you?”

“You could ask her yourself,” the demon mocked, stepping towards the bed with that damn smirk on his face. “Though that might be difficult since no one will ever find you.”

“What?”

“Did you think my wish was to claim you for myself?” The Beast had the nerve to mock him, head tilted in a form of innocence that did not suit him. “No, Young Lover, I merged the dimensions together. The Unknown is now a part of this world.”

He felt his jaw drop in shock, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind. The Beast took advantage of that, crawling up the bed like a predator stalking its prey. A pair of lips met his, tongue sweeping past his lips to probe at his own. The sensation jolted him back to reality and when he tried to pull away, a hand kept the back of his head in place.

His body was pushed down onto the pillows that felt unbelievably comfortable against his back. The mouth against his moved down towards his neck, licking and suckling over the bruise that had been there for almost a year.

And damn it all to hell, it felt good. Unbelievably good.

The Beast snapped his fingers once and he blushed as red as the bedspread when he was exposed to the demon. Legs pushed apart, with the demon sliding a thigh between them. “Get…get off me,” he whispered, and it was getting harder and harder to push the desire to pull the demon towards him and just lay there on the bed. To allow The Beast to have his way.

Of course, his dignity came back into play. Yet there wasn’t something quite right with it. While it had been hard to ignore the desire before, he had always managed to push past it. Why was it so difficult now? Had he truly given up? He felt so small; so helpless.

The reminder that he failed Greg. Failed his friends and family. He promised Mabel to get Dipper back and instead, he got himself kidnapped. Had this been the plan all along? To fill him with a false sense of hope and accomplishment just to take it away in one single day? If that were so, he applauded the demon. He had been so arrogant; so foolish in thinking they could overpower the demons.

“That’s it,” the demon crooned, warm breath hitting the shell of his ear. A hand grabbed his cock, stroking it gently, almost teasingly. “That’s it, Wirt, let go. Just relax and let me take care of you. Wouldn't it be nice to be free of your inhibitions?”

“No…”

He sounded so unconvincing; so pathetic. The Beast only moved his head down lower, tongue lapping at the soft warm skin of his chest. He tried to think of his family, anything to remove himself from the situation. Except, thinking of them only made his heart ache in pain. He couldn’t face them; not after what happened. He failed them, and he failed himself. He was supposed to be strong enough to stop The Beast, so why couldn’t he?

What was the point in even fighting anymore? 

Was The Beast correct? Would he come to love him one day? The very thought made him shiver with both desire and fear. He didn’t want this; he didn’t ask for any of this. Why did bad things always insist on happening to him? He tried the whole optimism thing and look where that landed him. As if optimism alone could save him from this nightmare.

Perhaps it was the reality of the situation sinking in. There was no getting out of this. He was in unfamiliar territory with no one to help him. He had no idea where Bill would be keeping Dipper; presumably some place far so they could not interact with each other and try to escape. The Beast had him exactly where he wanted him.

“Wouldn’t it be nice,” ah, he was stroking him still. His cock twitched with arousal, face feeling like fire at the confusing feelings arising. On one hand he wanted to push the demon away and hide. On the other, he wanted to just lay back and let the demon have his way. The two feelings were in constant battle with each other, with the first desire usually winning out. Of course then, he usually thought of the one who gave him strength but now, there was nothing but pain and shame when he thought of Greg. The Beast kissed him, lips brushing against his when he pulled back to speak. “Let go, Young Lover. Succumb yourself to me.”

He let one tear fall down his cheek, The Beast easily wiping it away. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hide. But most of all, he just wanted someone to cling onto. He couldn’t go to his mother or brother, so he went for the nearest thing.

He cupped The Beast’s face, bringing his pale lips to his once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, let me clarify something. This is rape. I don't care if seems like Wirt is just giving up because the situation just seems hopeless, The Beast is manipulating his feelings. He's taking full advantage of him and that's not okay. What Bill did to Dipper is not okay. And Wirt's not entirely giving up; he has grown over the course of events but we all reach weak points sometimes. This is one for him, coping with misery and feeling like a failure to everyone who depended on him. The Beast is taking advantage of him. I tried very hard to convey this, so I hope that's the message that got across.
> 
> See you guys in the next chapter!


	29. Everybody wants to rule the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. Kind of an epilogue?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOSH GUYS!!!!!! TONIGHT IS ELECTION NIGHT FOR MY COUNTRY!!! (I seriously hope it's not Trump...)
> 
> But you guys, this story is done!!! Thank you for all the support and love! I seriously don't know what I would have done without your support and comments. I still need a human!Beast, but maybe someone will do it one day! I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for all the support and I'll see you guys in the next installment! Which as of right now, has no name.

_Welcome to your life,_

_There's no turning back,_

_Even while you sleep,_

_We will find you,_

_Acting on your best behavior,_

_Turn your back on mother nature_

_Everybody wants to rule the world_

_~Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for fear~_

_But I used the one by Lorde for this story_

**(May 5, Gravity Falls, Oregon)**

Three days. That was all it took.

He watched squished next to Mabel and Annie on the couch in the Mystery Shack, watching as news reporter Sandra Jimenez, hair almost completely burned off, delivered the world’s death sentence. “This just in,” she sounded so shocked; so terrified of the piece of paper in her hands. “The UN has just surrendered to the strange demons that brought us Weirdmaggedon two. Other countries are now following in pursuit. You all have permission to start FREAKING OUT!”

The television then went blank, Annie turning it off with the remote and stretching her arms to the ceiling. “There’s no use listening to that,” she sighed, eyes staring at something in front of her. “I think it’s pretty obvious the world’s gone to hell.”

He didn’t want to hear those words; he didn’t want to see their beautiful news reporter freak out like that. Yet, he couldn’t look away. He couldn’t stop her words from echoing around in his head. So much had happened; so much he couldn’t even begin to explain.

His parents were in the kitchen with Ford and Stan, speaking in hushed tones, refusing to let him come in. His sister was asleep in her play pen and he found that he envied the fact she was too young to remember any of this. The three girls sitting in the living room with him had long ago lost their cheerful smiles and hopeful expressions. Valentina, dangling her legs off the arm of the couch had sighed, sliding off it. “I’m going to go check on my aunt and uncle,” she stated, glancing towards them briefly. “It’s been pretty quiet out there, haven’t you guys noticed?”

Hopping off the couch, he trudged over to the window of the shack to gaze outside. It looked completely ordinary, almost no trace of anything unusual out there. Ford had said something about the demons spreading out across the world to create chaos, so he wasn’t too surprised if there weren’t many creatures lingering around out there. Once The Beast disappeared with Wirt, everyone unfroze, completely horrified and panicked about the giant tears in the sky.

“I’m going home too,” Annie stood from the couch, stepping over to where her girlfriend held the door open. “We’ll meet up with you all later.”

With that, they were gone. He wasn’t too worried about them; they had made it obvious they could take care of themselves. He wrung his small hands together, Jason hopping beside him and giving him a sad expression. He gave the frog a small smile. “Yeah,” he nodded, looking outside once more. “I wish Wirt were here too.”

It was his entire fault; no one had to tell him that. If he had been able to stop Mortimer; to get to Wirt sooner, the demon wouldn’t have stolen him away. He hadn’t been a good leader. If he had been a good leader, Wirt would still be here. He would still be with him.

Speaking of Mortimer, the man hadn’t been responding to anyone for the past three days. He just sat in the guest room of the Mystery Shack, completely shell shocked by what had happened. He wanted to be angry with the man; he really wanted to, but he just couldn’t at the moment. If he had known what Mortimer was about to do, he would have done something to stop him.

But in the end, he had just been a little kid. A little kid who couldn’t do anything to save the people he cared about the most.

He stepped over to the door, giving a quick call to Mabel that he was going outside for a few minutes. She nodded, too preoccupied with something in her hands; a picture frame perhaps. Her eyes were beginning to fill with more tears and he swallowed the knot in his throat. He couldn’t stand to see anyone cry anymore.

He hadn’t even cried in front of his parents, excluding the moment when Annie had to physically stop him from running. He had never seen his mother cry like that before. She hadn’t even begun to calm down until his dad showed up, setting Yin Wei in Ford’s arms and taking the sobbing woman into his arms. Her cries still echoed around in his head, leaving an unsettled feeling in his stomach.

He pushed the door open, walking numbly down the porch steps. Jason followed, silent and calm amongst the stillness of the outdoors. An odd feeling had settled over the sleepy town of Gravity Falls. It no longer had that odd, but cheerful vibe to it anymore. It had been touched by something evil; something that no one would be recovering from anytime soon.

He walked across the dirt road, to the house they had been living in for almost a year. He could see his brother almost everywhere he went now. Making snow angels in the front yard the previous winter, playing with the water hose when it got really hot. He could almost see his brother now, sipping tea on the porch with another poetry book. Or writing poetry. He could hear his clarinet, the music playing beautifully from his room.

He didn’t think the memories would hurt that much.

He felt the tears slip down his face, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand. Crying wouldn’t bring Wirt back. He didn’t even know where to begin. His brother just vanished. Vanished without a trace and the only thing that knew where he was, was The Beast.

“Hello there, Gregory.”

He whirled around only to see the thing that had ruined everything; that ruined their happiness. “You!” he stomped over to where the demon stood, staring directly in those odd colored eyes of his. “Give him back! Give my brother back!”

“No, I don’t think I will. I think he’s quite happy where he is,” the smile that grew on the demon’s face contrasted oddly with his dark skin. “And since you asked so rudely, I’m not inclined to do anything for you.”

“Give him back! He’s not yours!”

The Beast rumbled a strange sort of laugh erupting from him that sent a chill down his spine. Even Jason stepped closer to him, hiding behind his legs. The demon sneered down at him in a threatening manner, yet he squished down the fear. “You poor confused child, no one tells you anything, do they? Your brother never told you, did he? My, my, how upset you must feel, knowing you’ve been kept in the dark about all the important things. Just like an insignificant child.”

“You took my brother from me!”

“He was never yours to begin with,” The Beast merely sighed, as though speaking with him now was a waste of his time. “Your brother belongs to me now. I’ll take care of him better than you and your _family_ ever did.”

He sounded completely disgusted saying those words, looking disdainfully at their house. He felt the tears burning in his eyes, hands curling into fists that shook at his side. “Why?” he asked suddenly, catching the demon’s attention once more. “Why did you have to take my brother? Isn’t there anything I can do? Take me instead! Just let Wirt go!”

The Beast tilted his head at him, looking at him almost endearingly. Like he was just something so amusing; so laughable. “And why would I let my precious Young Lover go after I just got him? You are an insignificant child; you have nothing to offer. Your life is worthless to me,” the demon sneered at him, uttering the cruel words. “The worthless little boy who couldn’t do anything to save his brother. I wouldn’t even be surprised if your precious brother hates you.”

The words hit him like a slap to the face. He felt the tears slide down his cheeks, slipping onto the green grass beneath his feet. “Wirt wouldn’t hate me!” he snapped at the demon, who merely grinned at him. “He wouldn’t!”

“Are you so sure about that? The little boy who thought he could outsmart me and ended up being almost turned into an Edelwood. You caused your brother so much worry; so much stress by making a deal with me. It could have killed you both and you want to know whose fault that would have been?” The Beast stepped closer to him, a clawed finger pointing directly at his face. “I would have been your fault.”

“But the Queen of Clouds would have sent Wirt home! He stayed to come get me!”

“You really think that? While I do not agree with my sister’s hunting techniques, she would have taken your brother and feasted off his dreams for ages. And she has you to thank for that,” The Beast chuckled once more, the sound making more tears fall from his eyes. “Think of all the times you put your brother in danger with your sense of adventure. You never considered the consequences of wanting to have fun all the time. What a selfish brother, you were. I pity your little sister.”

“No, I was a good brother! I was!” wasn’t he? Wirt kept telling him all the time that what happened to them wasn’t his fault. That it was Wirt’s fault, but that couldn’t be so? He loved his older brother; he truly did but the older boy lacked vindictiveness. He could be melodramatic but he wouldn’t purposefully hurt him. Maybe Wirt had lied to protect him from the truth. That his carefree attitude and love for fun put people in danger. It had put Wirt in danger!

He sniffed, eyes burning from all the crying. “I…I just want my brother,” he fell to the ground, knees landing hard against the ground. “I just want Wirt. He promised that nothing bad would happen! This isn’t fair!”

“Life isn’t fair, Gregory,” The Beast almost sounded sympathetic. “There is no such thing as fairness.”

Beatrice was absolutely right. Why did he choose to ignore her statement all those months ago? _“The world is a miserable place, Greg. Life isn’t fun.”_

The world was awful; a completely miserable and cruel place. It was just sad he was now only realizing it.

“Please…” why did he sound so small? Why couldn’t he do anything right? If he had protected Wirt, like he promised, none of this would have happened. “Just give him back. Give him back to me! To Mom and Dad! We all love him so much!”

The Beast only sighed with exasperation, a single white rose blooming into existence before he crushed it, letting the petals fall the ground. “As I said before,” he spoke calmly, with no trace of remorse or compassion. "He was never yours to begin with.”

The demon knelt down to his level, a hand reaching for his face; finger tilting his chin upwards to look at him. “You’re never going to see him again. You will never win against me!” he could almost mistake the demon for being arrogant, except there was no boasting in his tone. He sound completely matter o’fact; like they were discussing the weather together. “In the state you’re in now, there is no way you could even fight me. In such a pathetic, weak form that you have. You have power yes, but you’re still a worthless child.”

He felt the anger stir, throat tightening once more. “SHUT UP!” He jerked his head away from The Beast, fists curling tightly as though he were going to punch the demon. Something he never thought he would ever do to anyone. “SHUT UP! I’M NOT WEAK! I…I…”

“Then what are you?” The Beast sneered, stepping away from him. “Prove you’re not weak. Show it to me! You want to save your brother, Gregory? Then get stronger! Fuel your anger and one day, when you’re strong, we will meet. Until then, do try to keep alive. It’s going to rough out there, I assure you.”

Before he even blinked, The Beast was gone. He was left there on the ground, sitting numbly while the white rose petals drifted away with the slight breeze that brushed through. A breeze carrying the promise of summer. The tears started up once again and this time, he just let out the sob he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.

Why? Why, why, why, why, why? Is this what true pain; true loss felt like? He collapsed into the grass, the soft blades muffling his wailing screams. Fingers dug into the ground, digging through the dirt and pulling out the green blades. One year. In a week, it would be the first anniversary of their year here in Gravity Falls. And now it was gone. Everything he thought he knew was gone. Wirt was gone, the plans he had for the summer were gone, and the plans they made for the future. All of it was gone. Swept away with the wind. Lost forever.

_“And all shall fade. The flowers of spring. The world and all its sorrows at the heart of everything. But still it stays. The butterfly sings. And opens purple summer with a flutter of its wings.”_

He had hear d Wirt say that before; something about it being from a musical or what not. Before, he hadn’t paid much mind to it, but now, it echoed around in his brain. It only made more tears fall from his eyes. Why didn’t they have more time together? How could he have let things slip by like that?

Why did he have to suffer like this?

“Greg!”

A voice. A distinctive voice he never thought he would hear again. He immediately sat up, wiping the tears from his eyes and ignoring the dirt smearing across his face. He rose to his feet, picking up Jason and looking around. Where was that voice coming from? Who was talking to him? How was it even possible….

“Greg!”

And then there she was. Only, something wasn’t right. Before they left The Unknown, he had caught a glimpse of her in her true form. Beautiful curled red hair; a blue dress and freckles dancing across her bright rosy cheeks. This wasn’t right. She wasn’t supposed to look like this.

She wasn’t supposed to be…a blue bird.

“Beatrice,” his dark eyes widened at the sight of her, watching as she fluttered over to him and perched herself on the railing of the stairs leading to his house. She panted soundly, little bird chest heaving as she looked at him intently. He set Jason back down, the frog looking equally concerned as he did. He walked over to her carefully, scooping her up into his hands. “Beatrice,” he spoke again, now thoroughly confused. “What are you…how did you get here?”

“I’m not quite sure,” she spoke after a few moments of panting, lifting her wings and looking at them with dismay. “I’m not sure how I’m a bluebird again, but that’s not important right now. Greg, something’s really wrong! Something happened to The Unknown; I don’t know how we’re in the mortal world! Wait, where’s Wirt?”

And just like that, he felt two more tears slide down his cheeks.

~

**(May 5, Washington D.C)**

“Let’s do a toast, Beasty. A toast to all our plans coming to fruition.”

“Agreed, Bill.”

The sound of two glasses clinking together could be heard throughout the entire room. The two demons, both older than this universe, stood at the edge of the balcony. The fearamid hovered over the city of Washington D.C, the two of them leaning over it ever so slightly to watch the humans run around in complete terror. A few of the humans, the smart ones, had fled the minute they sensed something was wrong. The rest had stayed behind, ripped away from their homes to become slaves to the other demons who roamed the city.

Or food.

It was nice to be able to relax for once. Their plans complete; the puzzle pieces falling into place. He almost wished Wu were here so he could see the look of complete horror on her face; how all her efforts to keep him out of this dimension were in vain. Now her great-grandson belonged to him and his family, well, he knew how to keep them in line. Humans were so predictable, after all.

“It is a shame, though,” Bill started to speak again, staring idly into his drink as he spun the glass lazily with his wrist. “That Mother dearest had to be a casualty. The others aren’t exactly what you would call happy campers.”

Ah, he had almost forgotten about that. He had mourned her loss; privately, of course. He didn’t have very many memories of her, except for the ones he had in his formative years. When he, Bill, Wuya, and a few others were the equivalent of human children. How many eons ago was that? Two? Five? It was hard to tell now; sometimes he forgot how old he was. Though he supposed it didn’t really matter; time was such a trivial thing. Especially now that Bill had domain over it.

As if reading his thoughts, Bill rolled his one eye. “Well it’s not like I’m the first one to steal the power of time and space. We all know that Time Baby stole the knowledge of time from Daddy.”

“Yes, I know that, Bill. We all know that,” he commented with a sigh, that particular memory popping back up. Now there was a creature he hadn’t paid a visit to in eons. Perhaps it was time to see their father once more. “Have you spoken to him, recently?”

“Recently? Oh, no,” Bill shook his head, a conniving grin forming on his face. “I don’t think anyone’s visited him for over five thousand years. I know I wasn’t able to.”

Ah, he had almost forgotten Bill being locked in the Nightmare realm for about a thousand years. The natives living in where Gravity Falls would eventually be were wise in moving away from the land; labeling it as cursed. And of course, he had been locked away in The Unknown, so there was no way he could have had any contact. Excluding the witches.

No, the older ones that were still locked away were furious. He could feel their anger; their rage directed towards him and the others. Their mother had many friends, and despite not being the most powerful archon, she was well liked; respected. In their eyes, her death had to be avenged.

The earth could feel their anger. Earthquakes had been spotted all over the globe; volcanic eruptions and other strange weather occurring earlier than usual. More violent, too. Thousands of humans had been killed by nature alone. If he listened closely, he could hear the Leviathans scraping at the door to their prison, whispering threats and other atrocities that would make anyone’s skin crawl.

“Father has been silent,” he spoke indifferently; he cared little for his other creator. “Tell me, Bill, you don’t want to release him, now do you? It would be such a fuss to get him out.”

“Now why would I want to do that?” Bill almost sneered at him, refilling his now empty glass. “He’d kill us for sure and you know it would only take a snap of his fingers to do so. And did you really not know that no one knows how to release him? It seems like when Mother locked him up; she just threw away the directions on how to get him out.”

“Hmm,” he trailed off, almost in disinterest now. “Perhaps she did not want him to get out; that’s why she locked him up in the first place.”

“Anyway, this topic is boring. Let’s talk about your little lover. How much of a fuss did he put up?”

“Not as much as yours,” he stated flatly, pouring more wine into his crystal glass. “Everyone in Versailles could hear yours.”

“He does have quite the set of lungs,” Bill sounded proud, smiling fondly at the memory. Dipper, they all knew very well, had a very different view on what happened to him. “And he’s definitely a lot prettier than yours.”

He rolled his eyes at that comment, taking no mind to it. Bill didn’t really care about the appearance of the mortals; he was just trying to irritate him. Childish, but not unlike Bill. “If you say so,” he put no feeling behind the words and Bill miffed slightly at the apathetic look on his face. He let his thoughts briefly drift to his young lover. The boy hadn’t said anything much since their first night together. He had stayed curled up in a nest of blankets, glaring at him with fierce hostility.

He wondered how long it would last before he came crawling to him. Begging to be loved.

“So, anything cooking in that belly of his yet?”

He merely cast the other demon a withering look. “Must you be so crude?” he asked with a sigh, somewhat tempted to roll his eyes. Bill only sniggered, setting his glass down on the table nearby, stepping closer to the balcony to observe whatever was going on down below. He joined the other demon, both of them watching with vague interest as a lower ranking demon tore into the flesh of a politician, blood splattering the once pristine walls of the White House.

“Of course,” Bill only smiled lewdly at the sound of the man’s fading screams. “Shouldn’t that be obvious?”

It didn’t surprise him. Not really, anyway.

So he watched with his brother as the lower ranking demon tore away more flesh off the man’s body. Crude. No show of grace or restraint. It almost made him dislike his younger brothers and sisters a little more than he already did. He and the other elder siblings, the ones still left anyway, stood on a higher level. A different pedestal; almost a world away from the lesser ones.

“To the future,” Bill nodded towards the world out there; the one they’d been denied for so long. “We should call it Weirdmaggedon two.”

“No,” he shook his head, though he didn’t stop the smirk from forming on his face. “This is so much bigger than Weirdmaggedon.”

And the humans had no inkling of what was in store for them. What was in store for the world. The knowledge of that made the smirk on his face grow wider.

 

_End._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys next time! Hope you stick around for part two!

**Author's Note:**

> Damn, this is a long first chapter. Hope you enjoyed! You can look up what Baozi is on your own but I will tell you it's very delicious :)


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